“We didn’t have to wait long for the new President’s actions in support of Russian imperialism” – said Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, commenting on the President’s veto of the law on aid for Ukrainian citizens. The Minister of Digital Affairs went so far in his attack on the head of state as to accuse the Presidential Chancellery of planning to rebuild the Nord Stream pipeline. According to presidential spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz, such activity from the Left politician is a dangerous signal to Poland’s enemies. Meanwhile, the head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), Sławomir Cenckiewicz, reminded who actually worked for the restoration of Russian imperialism and what Poland’s President’s real relations with Russia are.
President Karol Nawrocki announced on Monday that he had vetoed, among other things, an amendment to the law on aid to Ukrainian citizens in connection with the armed conflict on that country’s territory. He explained his decision partly by stating that the document presented to him did not include corrections concerning the granting of 800 plus to Ukrainians. Nawrocki wants this benefit to be received only by refugees working in Poland.
Hypocrisy of the ruling coalition
Shortly after the decision was announced, some politicians from the ruling coalition began criticizing the President. This is despite the fact that Prime Minister Donald Tusk supported the proposed changes to 800 plus during the presidential campaign. The difference is that the Prime Minister responded positively to the idea when it was put forward by Rafał Trzaskowski.
One of the critics of the President’s decision is Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski. Just after the veto was announced, he posted online claiming that “Nawrocki, with his decision, is shutting down the Internet for Ukraine.” What the Left politician meant was that the same law that contains provisions on social benefits for Ukrainians also includes provisions relating to support for the Starlink system in Ukraine.
Presidential Chief of Staff Zbigniew Bogucki responded, stating that Gawkowski’s claims are disinformation. He pointed out that similar solutions are included in the draft prepared by the President himself, and all it takes is for the government to support his bill in September.
Gawkowski lost in absurdity
But Gawkowski did not stop there – quite the opposite. On Tuesday, he published another post, in which he leveled absurd accusations against Nawrocki. He wrote that Russia welcomed the President’s decision with satisfaction and that “under the Chancellery’s posts, hundreds of Russian trolls are applauding and trying to discourage Poland from helping Ukraine in its fight for independence.”
And that’s where the senseless statements began: “They praise Poland for changing its stance toward its neighbor, and Putin has gained a new ally in Europe! What a humiliation for the policy of President Andrzej Duda, who stood with courage and honor on the right side. And in the presidential palace (he means the Presidential Palace – ed.), they are surely already thinking about how to agree to the reconstruction and reopening of the Nord Stream pipelines! We didn’t have to wait long for the new President’s actions in support of Russian imperialism” – wrote the Deputy Prime Minister.
He went on to assure that “Poland will never join the axis of evil, no matter how hard Karol Nawrocki and his entourage blinded by hatred try.”
“A dangerous signal to enemies”
Gawkowski’s post drew a response from presidential spokesperson Rafał Leśkiewicz. “Mr. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister! I recommend a sip of cold water. Not before, not after, but before you make another such absurd post on social media. Your hysteria is unworthy of a serious official of the Polish State,” he declared.
“Your post is an expression of ignorance and lack of judgment. It is also a dangerous signal to our enemies. A representative of the Polish government is baselessly attributing support for Russian imperialism to the President of the Republic of Poland! This is the height of manipulation, which you should be fighting against, not spreading,” he emphasized.
Leśkiewicz added that he sympathizes with Gawkowski because “it is clear that short-sighted political calculation has overshadowed the interests of the State, in which he serves as Deputy Prime Minister of Donald Tusk’s government.”
Real support for imperialism
The head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), Prof. Sławomir Cenckiewicz, also responded to Gawkowski’s words. He pointed out the real support for imperial Russia that took place under Donald Tusk’s previous government. “Krzysztof Gawkowski, Deputy Prime Minister, no one ever enjoyed Russia’s influence on the Vistula as much as Putin did with the SKW-FSB agreement of September 11, 2013,” he stressed.
“The people who brought about that disgrace are today in the services, parliamentary committees, and state institutions! Thanks to you!” he underlined.
And he added: “Read, and stop insulting the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who is being pursued and threatened with a gulag by Putin’s criminal Russia – the same Russia that in Poland was being paid homage to between 2007 and 2014!”
Cenckiewicz attached to his post a fragment of the SKW-FSB agreement, which defined cooperation between Poland and Russia in the field of military counterintelligence. Referring to the words about Nawrocki being pursued by Russia, it is worth recalling that this concerns the removal of Soviet monuments from Polish territory during his time as head of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN). The existence of a Russian warrant for this activity was reported, among others, by the Russian portal Mediazona.
Krzysztofie @KGawkowski, Wicepremierze, nikt nigdy w tym stopniu nie cieszył się z wpływów Rosji nad Wisłą, jak Putin z umowy SKW z FSB z 11 września 2013 r.
— Sławomir Cenckiewicz (@Cenckiewicz) August 26, 2025
Ludzie którzy do tej hańby wtedy doprowadzili są dziś w służbach, komisjach sejmowych i instytucjach państwowych! Za… https://t.co/zVN4YahPFC pic.twitter.com/p1BbNHbB92