Comments by President Karol Nawrocki suggesting that Ukraine had failed to adequately acknowledge Poland’s support have sparked widespread criticism in Poland, following his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw.
Last Friday, 19 December, standing alongside Zelensky, whose country remains at war with Russia, Nawrocki - supported by Poland’s right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) party - cited opinion polls indicating that many Poles felt their country’s extensive assistance to Ukraine had not been properly recognised.
Among those responding was Mariusz Szczygieł, a respected journalist and writer whose work is widely read and translated abroad.
Szczygieł expresses embarrassment over Nawrocki’s remarks on Ukraine
In a social media post, the journalist said he felt “embarrassed” by the president’s comments, questioning the notion that assistance should be contingent on receiving gratitude from a nation under attack.
He argued that help given with an expectation of recognition ceases to be a gift and becomes a transaction, warning that unspoken expectations of gratitude can poison relationships and shift the focus from solidarity to self-interest.
“Gratitude has value only when it is freely given, not demanded,” Szczygieł wrote.
Prezydent Nawrocki stwierdził wczoraj, że Ukraina nie okazała wystarczającej wdzięczności za wsparcie, jakiego udzieliła...
Opublikowany przez Mariusz Szczygieł Sobota, 20 grudnia 2025
According to the reporter, assistance conditioned on thanks undermines both its moral value and the relationship between giver and recipient, transforming acts of solidarity into obligations instead of genuine support.
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Source: Facebook.com/MariuszSzczygielReporterOfficial
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