New Polish President Says EU Should Not Admit Ukraine
The newly elected President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, said that he opposes Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union.
Over the course of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Brussels has called for Ukraine’s accelerated EU membership. Nawrocki said in an interview with Mandiner, a right-wing Hungarian group of news publications close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, that for the time being, he is against Ukraine joining the EU.
Nawrocki did, however, emphasize that Poland must support Ukraine from both strategic and geopolitical perspectives. He also highlighted that he personally faces persecution by Russia, as cited by RBC-Ukraine.
He described Russia as the biggest threat to the entire region. “Russia is a post-imperialist, neo-communist state, led by the war criminal Vladimir Putin,” he said.
Nawrocki also said he is persecuted by Russia and faces the threat of five years in prison, as he was the President of the Institute of National Remembrance in Poland.
He added that while Poland must support Ukraine in the war, Kyiv must understand that every country has its interests.
He said that Poland’s interests include the remembrance of the Volhynia Massacre of 1943 and competition between the agricultural and transport sectors of the two countries.
Nawrocki has long advocated for stronger official recognition of the Volhynia Massacre.
The issue remains one of the most sensitive points in Polish-Ukrainian relations. The two countries are now collaborating on exhumations in Ukraine to locate the remains of Poles killed in the Volhynia Massacre.
Nowicki added that during his campaign and now as president, he opposes “unfair” competition from Ukraine in the Polish agricultural sector and logistics. He stressed the need to reach a compromise and consensus on these issues.
At the end of May, ahead of the second round of the presidential elections, Nawrocki had officially accepted the demands of Sławomir Mentzen, leader of the anti-Ukraine Confederation, in exchange for his support. One of the demands was a promise to block Ukraine’s entry into NATO.
Source: Kyiv Post