Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will meet Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki in Warsaw on Friday, as Kyiv seeks to reinforce ties with a key regional ally at a critical stage of the war with Russia.
The visit comes as European Union leaders have agreed to borrow funds to support Ukraine for the next two years, a move aimed at ensuring continued military and financial assistance despite growing political divisions in Europe and the United States.
“We should support Ukraine, and we do,” Nawrocki said in an interview with wp.pl, adding that Poland must also ensure it is treated as a true partner by Kyiv after years of support.
The meeting reflects a cooler tone in Polish-Ukrainian relations under Nawrocki, a nationalist leader endorsed by US President Donald Trump, and contrasts with the more openly supportive stance of his predecessor, Andrzej Duda. While Poland remains broadly committed to aiding Ukraine to keep Russian forces away from its borders, attitudes toward Ukrainian refugees have hardened, fuelling domestic tensions.
Zelenskiy has described relations with Poland as “very important,” with analysts noting that Nawrocki’s links to Trump-aligned political circles could offer Kyiv a valuable channel at a time when US support is increasingly uncertain.
Political divisions in Poland have deepened as far-right voices argue the country has given too much to Ukraine. Recent polling shows growing public scepticism over military spending in support of Kyiv, a sentiment that has shaped Nawrocki’s more transactional approach.
The Ukraine war has also become part of Poland’s internal power struggle between Nawrocki and centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is expected to meet Zelenskiy separately and has repeatedly urged Polish politicians to back Ukraine without conditions.
Erizia Rubyjeana
Follow us on:
