Poland’s president-elect Karol Nawrocki said he opposes Ukraine’s European Union membership at this time, according to an interview with Hungarian publication Mandiner.

“Currently, I am against Ukraine’s entry into the European Union,” Nawrocki said when asked about Brussels’ push for accelerated Ukrainian accession procedures.

The president was elected late in May, securing 50.89% of votes in the second round against Rafał Trzaskowski’s 49.11%.

He emphasized in the interview with Mandiner that Poland must support Ukraine strategically while protecting its own interests. Nawrocki argued that Ukraine must understand “other countries, including Poland and Hungary and other European countries, also have their own interests.”

He cited specific Polish concerns, including the exhumation of Volhynian massacre victims and protecting Polish agriculture from what he termed “unfair competition” with Ukraine. “During the campaign I did not agree, and as president I will not agree to unfair competition with Ukraine against Polish agriculture or the logistics sector,” Nawrocki said.

Despite his EU stance, Nawrocki described Russia as the region’s primary threat. “For me as an anti-communist, and in my opinion for the entire region, the greatest threat is the Russian Federation. This is a post-imperial, neo-communist state headed by Vladimir Putin, a war criminal,” he said.

The president-elect revealed personal stakes in the war, noting Russian authorities pursue him with criminal charges. “I am very critical of the Russian Federation, where, incidentally, they persecute me as president of the Institute of National Memory. Five years in prison camp threatens me,” according to Mandiner.

Nawrocki acknowledged Poland’s leading role in supporting Ukraine under outgoing President Andrzej Duda. However, he argued this support justifies Poland’s right to protect its interests. He called for “compromise and consensus” on contentious issues between the neighboring countries.

The president-elect, who takes office 6 August, previously said in January he saw Ukraine “neither in the EU nor in NATO.” Ukraine’s foreign ministry then rejected those comments as “biased and manipulative.”

Nawrocki’s position contrasts with the current government led by Donald Tusk, whom he criticized throughout the campaign. The president-elect promised to restore “balance” to Polish politics and serve as a voice for citizens whose concerns “are not heard in Donald Tusk’s Poland.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered congratulations to Poland’s newly elected president Karol Nawrocki, despite the incoming leader’s previous statements questioning Ukraine’s path to NATO and EU membership over unresolved historical grievances.

Nawrocki secured victory in Poland’s presidential runoff with 50.89% of the vote, narrowly defeating opponent Rafał Trzaskowski who received 49.11% support.

Zelenskyy described Poland as “a pillar of regional and European security and a strong voice defending freedom and dignity for every nation” in a message posted on social media platform X.

The Ukrainian leader expressed expectations for continued cooperation, stating that mutual strengthening between the countries would “give more power to Europe in global competition.”

Who is new Poland’s president?

Nawrocki is a first-time politician who has led two influential cultural bodies in Poland – the Museum of the Second World War in Gdansk, and then the Institute of National Remembrance, where he has overseen the removal of Soviet-era monuments and conducted extensive research into the Volhynian tragedy of the 1940s. Nawrocki also controversially referred to Ukraine’s Eastern Galicia region as “Lesser Poland.”

During his campaign, Nawrocki argued that Ukraine should not join NATO or the European Union until it addresses what he characterized as crimes committed in Volhynia during World War II. The region saw mass killings of Polish civilians by Ukrainian nationalist forces between 1943-1944, an event that remains a sensitive diplomatic issue between the two countries. 

President Donald Trump invited Nawrocki to the Oval Office last month, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had urged Poles to elect Nawrocki, saying he would work together with Trump.

Nawrocki is backed by Polish nationalist-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party and endorsed by prominent right-wing figures such as US President Donald Trump and Hungary’s Viktor Orban.

Despite these positions, Nawrocki has pledged to maintain Polish support for Ukraine while pursuing what he described as policies “based on the principle of reciprocity.” According to his statements, Poland would prioritize representing its own national interests in the relationship.

He has also tapped into growing antagonism towards the million or so Ukrainian refugees in Poland, accusing them of “taking advantage of Polish generosity”, and promising to prioritise Poles for social services such as healthcare and schooling.

Nawrocki’s victory delivers a major blow to the centrist government’s efforts to cement Warsaw’s pro-European orientation and presages more political gridlock as he is likely to use his presidential veto to thwart Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s liberal policy agenda.