Polish presidential debate: candidates argue about Zelenskyy and Ukraine

Ukraine – and Poland’s attitude towards it – was one of the most hotly discussed issues during a televised debate between Poland's presidential contenders on the evening of 23 May.

Source: Polish news agency PAP, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Karol Nawrocki, the opposition-backed presidential candidate, claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s attitude towards Poland has been poor, while Rafał Trzaskowski, the Civic Coalition candidate, accused Nawrocki of echoing Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric on NATO membership for Ukraine.

Each candidate put three questions to the other across six issues: health, international politics, the economy, social policy, security, and worldview.

Migration and Ukraine repeatedly came up in the discussions. Both candidates distanced themselves from the EU migration pact. Nawrocki repeated his pledge that, if elected president, he would seek its unilateral termination, while Trzaskowski argued that the pact would "never come into force" due to the support that Poland has already given Ukraine.

Quote from Trzaskowski: "I ensured that EU documents stated that if we help Ukrainians, we won’t take anyone else."

Details: Nawrocki accused Trzaskowski of lying and challenged him to name the document. Trzaskowski said he was citing a 2015 EU regulation.

Quote from Nawrocki: "I don’t believe there was a war in Ukraine in 2015."

Details: Trzaskowski countered that Russia’s occupation of Crimea constituted a war.

When the discussion turned to security, Trzaskowski asked Nawrocki if he opposed NATO membership for Ukraine, noting that he was "speaking Putin’s language" on this issue.

Quote from Nawrocki: "I speak the language of Polish people. … If President Zelenskyy treats us poorly, we have the right to say so. Millions of Poles today want to say so but are silenced by accusations that they are spreading Putin’s propaganda."

Details: Nawrocki added that as someone "persecuted by Russia", he can be a voice for those who resent Ukraine "flooding" Poland with grain, creating unfair competition.

Asked about his relationship with US President Donald Trump, Trzaskowski said he had never spoken ill of him and has "an excellent relationship with the Republicans".

Quote from Nawrocki: "Trump doesn’t respect people who grovel. He values strength and influence."

Details: Nawrocki agreed, saying, "Indeed, Trump admires strong, influential leaders who speak for their people and their cause."

Background: Following the first round of the presidential election held on 18 May, Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski from the ruling party advanced to the second round with 31.36% of the vote, along with Karol Nawrocki, Head of the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, backed by the opposition Law and Justice party (PiS), who received 29.54%.

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