Polish president-elect against Ukrainian EU membership

(MENAFN) Poland’s president-elect, Karol Nawrocki, has emphasized that Warsaw’s support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia is conditional and does not outweigh Poland’s national interests. He stressed the need for “compromise and consensus” on unresolved historical and economic issues between the two countries.

In a recent interview with Hungarian magazine Mandiner, Nawrocki highlighted longstanding grievances, including the exhumation of Polish victims killed by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators during the 1940s Volyn massacres and trade practices that he says disadvantage Polish farmers and truckers.

“I am currently against Ukraine joining the European Union,” Nawrocki stated. “While Ukraine bravely defends itself against Russia, it must also respect the interests of its supporters, including Poland.”

He reiterated Poland’s demand to investigate the Volyn massacre and rejected what he described as unfair competition against Polish agriculture and logistics sectors from Ukraine.

Although Poland has been a strong ally to Kyiv in its fight against Moscow, Warsaw has consistently linked its support for Ukraine’s EU and NATO membership bids to Ukraine’s acknowledgment of the “genocide” committed by Ukrainian nationalist groups during World War II. These groups, including the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, were responsible for killing up to 100,000 Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. Ukraine today honors some of these figures, including Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera, as national heroes.

Poland also opposed the EU’s tariff-free trade agreement with Ukraine, introduced in 2022 to aid Kyiv’s economy, which upset producers in Poland and other EU countries. This trade framework recently expired after attempts to extend it failed.

Nawrocki, a conservative historian and known for dismantling Soviet-era memorials (which put him on Russia’s wanted list), narrowly won the June 1 presidential runoff. His campaign focused on Catholic values, national sovereignty, and recalibrating relations with the EU.

Though Poland’s presidency is mostly ceremonial, it holds veto power and influence over foreign policy decisions. Nawrocki will take office on August 6.

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