Zelenskyy explains why Nawrocki is attempting to derail Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk
Zelenskyy attributed the Polish president’s actions to resentment over Donald Tusk’s participation and an attempt to score political points ahead of elections.
- Author of the publication
-
Volodymyr Zelenskyy / © Associated Press
Polish President Karol Nawrocki is escalating tensions with Ukraine and attempting to sabotage the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2026), scheduled for June 25–26 in Gdansk. The move stems from Nawrocki’s resentment over the participation of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Zelenskyy made the remarks in an interview with TSN Tyzhden host Alla Mazur.
According to the Ukrainian leader, Nawrocki expressed outrage over allegedly not being invited to the URC2026 in Gdansk, where Poland will be represented by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
«We are speaking about this openly now because he [Nawrocki] is taking steps that I believe are wrong. That is why I am now providing an answer and an analysis of everything that is happening. In my view, this is a political situation. We met, I believe, on the sidelines of the Bucharest summit, and he told me outright that he does not support the Ukraine Recovery Conference in this format, where he, as president, is not invited,» Zelenskyy said.
The president of Ukraine stresses that this is purely part of the election campaigning that has already begun in Poland and will continue until 2027, when the country holds parliamentary elections to choose a new prime minister.
«President Karol is fighting for the premiership, aiming for his party to defeat Prime Minister Tusk. That is exactly what is happening,» Zelenskyy said.
To de-escalate the situation, the Ukrainian leader said he offered to meet with the Polish president and co-host the Ukraine Recovery Conference together. Instead, Nawrocki chose to further escalate the conflict.
«I said, „Let’s hold the conference together.“ The Polish president then takes the next step: he says that „Ukraine has no place in Europe“ because it is bad for the Polish farmer. That is exactly how he puts it. Why? Not just to sabotage the conference, but to later pressure Tusk and block negotiations on EU accession clusters. These things are absolutely interconnected. That is why it is being done. He makes this statement completely failing to understand that we do not sell agricultural products en masse to Poland. Not at all—we have other markets. So he is simply stoking public tension. Why? Why do this? Politics, elections,» the Ukrainian president concluded.