The newly elected president of Poland is now against Ukraine's accession to the European Union

Newly elected Polish President Karol Nawrocki is currently against Ukraine's accession to the European Union. The politician said this in his first interview with a foreign media outlet, the Hungarian right-wing resource Mandiner.

"At the moment, I am against Ukraine's accession to the European Union. I know that we, the Polish state, must support Ukraine from a strategic and geopolitical point of view. The biggest threat to me, as an anti-communist, and, in my opinion, to the entire region, is the Russian Federation. This is a post-imperial, neo-communist state led by Vladimir Putin, a war criminal," said Nawrocki.

He added that he was "very critical" of Moscow, and noted that in Russia he faced five years in prison for his work as head of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance. In 2024, Russia put Navrotsky on the wanted list in connection with the demolition of monuments to the Soviet army in Poland.

The politician believes that, on the one hand, Warsaw should support Kyiv in the war, but Ukraine "must understand that other countries – in particular Poland, Hungary and other European countries – have their own interests."

"Poland has such interests, for example, in the exhumation of victims in Volhynia. During the election campaign, I did not agree, and as president I will not agree, to unfair competition with Ukraine against Polish agriculture or the logistics sector . On these issues, we must reach a compromise and consensus. I see Ukraine as a country that, although it is very bravely defending itself against the Russian Federation, must also respect the interests of other countries that otherwise support Ukraine," says Navrotsky.

According to him, Poland plays a leading role in supporting Ukraine thanks to current President Andrzej Duda and the "openness of Polish hearts."

"This is a basis for a deeper understanding of the fact that we also have the right to our interests," the politician concluded.

Decisions on EU enlargement are made by all member states of the bloc, meaning that Ukraine's integration will also require consent from Poland.

• On June 2, Nawrocki , a representative of the conservative Law and Justice party and head of the country's Institute of National Remembrance, who had previously speculated on the Volhynia Tragedy and opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU, won the Polish presidential election. The politician will head the Polish state on August 6.
• On June 3, Navrotsky said he hopes for continued cooperation with Ukraine based on mutual respect and understanding.
• On June 4, the Polish Sejm set a new date for the Day of Remembrance for the victims of the "genocide committed by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in the eastern territories of the Second Polish Republic" (the Volhynia tragedy). The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry criticized this decision.