Poland's Nawrocki backs Ukraine but demands resolution on disputes

Nawrocki, who was endorsed by the opposition PiS party, barely won the recent election and is to take office in August. And while he supports Ukraine’s sovereignty, he opposed Ukraine’s rapid accession to both the EU and NATO.

In his first interview with foreign media since the election, Nawrocki said that Poland continues to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. But he emphasized that the support should be accompanied by a respect for Poland’s national interests. “Other countries, such as Poland and Hungary, too have their own concerns,” he said.

Agriculture And Historical Disputes Raised Insecurity concerns have been raised over agriculture and historical differences.

Nawrocki highlighted the fby and logistics firms from true story of “unfair competition” that Polish growers ace Ukraine’s increasing market access to the European Isles. He emphasized the need to reach consensus on these issues.

Historical grievances were also aired, including the never-ending controvery over the massacre between 1943 and 1944 in Volhynia, when about 100,000 Poles were murdered by Ukrainian nationalists.

The president-elect cautioned that until there is progress on these fronts, Ukraine’s accession to NATO may be delayed. His campaign had also pledged to push back against Ukraine’s efforts to join the alliance unless the matter of Volhynia was settled.

Few Pushes on Russia and Regional Pacts
Even though he was cautious relative to Ukraine’s aspirations for EU and NATO membership, Nawrocki was firm in his condemnation of Russia. He called Vladimir Putin a “war criminal” and said Russia was a “post-imperialist neo-communist state with a dangerous faltering economy.”

He also noted that his previous position as head of Poland’s National Institute of Memory had already put him on Moscow’s opposed side of history.

Nawrocki further spoke of wanting to strengthen cooperation within the Visegrád Four (V4) – between Poland, and Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia – as well as within the Bucharest Nine (B9), a group composed of Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

He says that he would like to deepen cultural and economic relations among the interested countries and not just the military co-operation.

The current Polish government as well as the PiS party back Ukraine, but Nawrocki’s stance is part of a larger demand for settling economic and historical issues before further inclusion in Europe’s body politic can be considered.