Polish Government: Nawrocki Deliberately Provoked Zelensky Before Ukraine Recovery Conference

Sources in Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's chancellery have expressed conviction that President Karol Nawrocki, by announcing the revocation of the Order of the White Eagle from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, acted with the intent to provoke tension and potentially cause Zelensky to cancel his visit to the Ukraine Recovery Conference scheduled in Gdansk.

The conference, set for June 25-26, has been prepared for months and will be attended by numerous heads of state and government. Expected participants include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Council President António Costa, and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, along with official delegations from over 50 countries.

Polish government representatives note that such broad international participation is politically disadvantageous for Nawrocki, as it undermines his claims that Tusk is ignored within the EU and lacks influence in negotiations regarding Ukraine's future.

Significantly, Nawrocki made the announcement at a time when media attention was focused on a scandal at the Southern Hospital in Warsaw, thereby diverting public attention. A government official remarked that Nawrocki and the Law and Justice party have failed to block Poland's participation in the EU's SAFE program for arms financing, and they aim to turn the Gdansk conference into a failure, especially since agreements on Poland's involvement in Ukraine's reconstruction could be signed there.

Previously, Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau of the Polish president's office, stated that Nawrocki had not received an invitation to the conference. Government spokesman Adam Szłapka expressed surprise at the discussion surrounding the lack of an invitation, emphasizing that the conference is organized at the governmental level.