The poll, taken June 13-14 among 1,017 adults, found 32.6 % expected Nawrocki to “definitely” or “rather” safeguard ties with Kyiv, against 40.3 % who said “rather not” or “definitely not”. Another 27 % had no opinion.
Supporters of the country’s conservative opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party – which backed the 43-year-old historian’s outsider bid for the presidency – were most upbeat: 61.2 % predicted smooth relations with Ukraine.
Confidence was lower among far-right Confederation voters (47.5 %) and sharply negative among those backing the ruling centrist Civic Coalition (KO), 65.3 % of whom foresaw poor ties. A majority of Left voters (57.6 %) agreed, while agrarian-liberal Third Way supporters were split.
Asked whether the incoming head of state would perform well as commander-in-chief of Poland’s armed forces, 44 % said yes and 36 % no, with 20 % undecided.
Fully 86.9 % of PiS voters and 81.3 % of Confederation backers voiced confidence, compared with 16 % of KO supporters and 20.2 % of Left voters. Positive ratings among Third Way voters reached 34.8 %.
The National Electoral Commission declared on June 2 that Nawrocki narrowly defeated liberal Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski in the presidential run-off, winning 50.89 % of votes. He is due to be sworn in on August 6 for a five-year term.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies since Russia’s 2022 invasion, supplying weapons and sheltering millions of refugees.
Hot button issue in Polish politics
Ukraine has become a flashpoint in Poland’s presidential race. Far-right libertarian Sławomir Mentzen won 14.5 percent on an openly anti-Ukrainian platform that favors an “agreement” with Vladimir Putin, while president-elect Karol Nawrocki opposes EU and NATO membership for Kyiv and wants to curb refugee aid, though he supports continued military help.
Centrist Rafał Trzaskowski – the most pro-Ukraine contender – also pledged to scale back social benefits, a shift analysts say reflects hardening voter attitudes.
Meanwhile, Polish police are investigating another far-right candidate, Grzegorz Braun (6.3 percent), for tearing down a Ukrainian flag at a campaign rally in April. In his campaign, Braun has been vocally against what he dubbed as the “Ukrainization” of Poland.
(jh)
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