Zelensky urged Navrotsky to strengthen each other

During the second round of the presidential election in Poland, opposition candidate Karol Nawrotsky, known for negative reviews not only on Ukraine’s accession to NATO, but also against Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, won. However, Zelensky himself hastened to congratulate him on his election. At the same time, Kiev pointed out the need to be together “when Ukraine holds the defense of the whole of Europe.” However, experts have not ruled out that Poland may demand a change of Kiev authorities and new elections in the future.

According to the results of the June 1 elections, Karol Nawrocki, a nominee of the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party, became the new president of Poland, who was called an anti-Ukrainian candidate in contrast to his rival, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, supported by the ruling Civic Coalition party.

Welcoming the election of Navrotsky, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on social media that he looked forward to continued fruitful cooperation with Poland and its president personally. “By strengthening each other on our continent, we give Europe more strength in global competition and bring closer the achievement of real and lasting peace,” Zelensky added.

Recall that in the first round of elections on May 18, the opposition candidate became the second after Rafal Trzaskowski (29.54% versus 31.31%). And then on May 22, he signed a declaration with the far-right Confederation association, prepared by its representative in the first round of elections, Slavomir Mentzen (received the third result in 14.8%). Along with the promise not to raise taxes, not to change the Polish national currency to the euro and not to transfer the powers of the Polish government to the European Union, the document also stipulated the refusal to send Polish troops to Ukrainian territory and provided for opposition to Ukraine’s accession to NATO.

Earlier, Navrotsky stated that he would not support Ukraine’s accession to NATO and the European Union until Kiev recognizes responsibility for the Volyn massacre. As a result, he was already in the lead in the second round and scored 50.89% against 49.11% for Tschaskowski.

As stated in the Kiev media, the elections in Poland confirmed a change in attitude towards Ukraine. In particular, the journalists recalled that during the TV debates on May 23, Navrotsky promised military support for Kiev, but at the same time opposed the transformation of Poland “into a secondary market for Ukrainian goods.” Also, responding to an opponent at the debate, Navrotsky clarified that Warsaw has the right to talk about Vladimir Zelensky’s bad attitude towards Poles. And assessing the public altercation between the Ukrainian leader and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on February 28, he called the incident a consequence of Zelensky’s ingratitude and his inability to conduct international politics.

The new Polish president himself sees his country’s strategic interest in the foreign arena in pushing the threat of “neo-imperial post-communist Russia” as far away from Poland as possible. According to his definition, “peace in Ukraine should be long and fair, and not just a postponed military conflict,” the journalists said.

Some publications mentioned that in his youth, Navrotsky was noted among hooligan football fans. But it seems that all this only confirmed the concern of the Ukrainian side about a possible change in the Polish course under the new president.

Although Roman Lunkin, Deputy Director of the Institute of Europe and Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, does not expect a radical turn in Warsaw’s policy towards Kiev. At the same time, he noted in a comment for NG, the Poles’ refusal to directly participate in the fighting will also include the issue of historical memory, which is significant for Karol Navrotsky.

“The topic of the Volyn massacre is now on the cutting edge. The problem of glorifying Nazism and the formation of militaristic nationalism in the Ukrainian state, along with Zelensky’s corresponding role, also remains urgent. In this regard, Poland may become the first country to demand a change of the Kiev leadership and hold new elections,” Lunkin specified.

According to him, in general, the results of the elections in Poland have demonstrated how divided European society is on two significant points. The first is related to the idealization of Ukraine, the protection of which the European Commission has listed as European values, and the second involves using the Ukrainian crisis in their own interests. The Polish voter by a slight margin preferred a pragmatic point of view, which implied upholding the sovereignty of his country and its benefits in everything, both in relations with the European Commission and with Kiev.

“It is no coincidence that Navrotsky received support from the “Confederation”, whose leaders called the Kiev regime insane. Moreover, if in the April elections in Canada, for example, the Liberal Party, which opposed the head of the White House, unexpectedly won, then in Poland, supporters of Donald Trump on issues of permanent identity and traditional family (by the way, like Navrotsky himself) felt that they were back on trend. And from the point of view of Poles, you cannot agree with such a president on a veto on Hungary’s position, or on the militarization of Ukraine, which means that it will sharply increase. Whereas the harsh rhetoric of the Polish representatives towards Russia is likely to be accompanied by their transformation into “coalitions of the willing” into fellow travelers with their own demands,” Roman Lunkin summed up.

Meanwhile, as Kiev publications warned, updated migration rules began to operate in Poland on June 1. In particular, they are directed against “fictitious students” who use a student visa to enter the country and find illegal employment. To this end, applicants will have language proficiency exams at the required level, and their participation in classes will also be monitored. In addition, access to the Polish labor market is being tightened, where local authorities will be able to determine the list of professions in which newcomers will be prohibited from working. At the same time, the Polish government assured that the country remains open to foreigners, but migration must be controlled and safe, as well as meet the economic needs of the country.