Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Poland’s right-wing PiS party, once the loudest cheerleader for Ukraine’s NATO membership, is now backpedaling so fast they might trip over themselves.
Their presidential candidate, Karol Nawrocki, now parrots Donald Trump’s stance, admitting that Ukraine’s NATO bid isn’t happening anytime soon—something any rational person could’ve told them years ago.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made it crystal clear in Brussels: Ukraine’s dream of joining NATO is “unrealistic,” as is reclaiming its pre-2014 borders. Nawrocki, after years of PiS pounding the war drums, has suddenly seen the light. “Of course, Ukraine can’t join NATO while it’s at war,” he stated, as if this was some groundbreaking revelation. Never mind that PiS spent years demanding just that, all while dismissing anyone who disagreed as a traitor or Putin apologist.
Despite his newfound “realism,” Nawrocki couldn’t resist taking a jab at Poland’s current government under Donald Tusk, complaining that Poland isn’t even invited to negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. “It’s sad for me as a Pole,” he whined, lamenting that Poland isn’t seen as important enough to sit at the big boys’ table.
Of course, he conveniently ignores why that might be. Perhaps Poland’s credibility took a hit after PiS spent years pushing for reckless escalation, burning bridges with European allies, and acting as Biden’s most loyal lapdog. But sure, let’s blame Tusk.
Now Nawrocki says the next Polish president must work on “rebuilding relations” with the U.S. Maybe if PiS had spent less time playing junior warmonger and more time thinking strategically, they wouldn’t be in this position.
This isn’t the first time Nawrocki has backtracked on Ukraine. Just last month, he claimed he couldn’t see Ukraine in either NATO or the EU until Poland’s long-standing grievances—like the exhumation of victims from the Volhynian massacre—were addressed. Funny how PiS only started caring about this when it became politically useful.
His opponent, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, was quick to call him out. “Until now, we had consensus that Ukraine belongs in Europe. Only my opponent is questioning it now,” Trzaskowski said, doubling down on the old PiS-era talking points that Ukraine must join NATO to avoid “falling into Putin’s hands.”
But public opinion tells a different story. A January poll found that only 24.8% of Poles support Ukraine’s unconditional entry into NATO and the EU, while half believe the Volhynian massacre issue must be resolved first.
Meanwhile, Nawrocki trails behind Trzaskowski in the latest presidential poll, down by 10 points. Maybe that’s why PiS suddenly changed its tune—when Trump says “jump,” they just ask, “How high?”
