President Karol Nawrocki summarized his participation in the NATO summit held in Ankara, saying the Alliance remains united and prepared to respond to today’s international security challenges.
“We are leaving Ankara after the NATO summit convinced that the Alliance is united and ready to respond to the international situation. That was evident in every speech. What Poland expected has been delivered, and I am very pleased with that. The Alliance is strong and determined to defend the values upon which it was founded,” Nawrocki told reporters.
The President stressed that NATO leaders repeatedly identified Russia as the Alliance’s principal long-term threat.
“This message resonated throughout nearly every address. Russia is a long-term threat to Poland, Central Europe, and the North Atlantic Alliance,” he said.
United States Remains Poland’s Key Ally
Nawrocki also highlighted the importance of transatlantic relations, emphasizing the central role of the United States in NATO’s security architecture.
“I leave with the firm conviction that the Alliance is stronger than at any point in its history,” the President said, adding that the United States remains Poland’s principal ally.
Meeting with Zelensky
During his visit to Ankara, Nawrocki also held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Polish President said the two leaders spoke for about an hour, stressing that maintaining open channels of communication between neighboring countries is both a good practice and a necessity.
“I have just come from a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meeting lasted about an hour. We discussed many issues. It is both good practice and essential in relations between neighboring states to maintain dialogue and communication channels. There have recently been many tensions surrounding Polish-Ukrainian relations,” Nawrocki said.
He reiterated that Poland’s position on historical issues remains unchanged, describing the issue of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as “non-negotiable.”
At the same time, Nawrocki emphasized that Poland and Ukraine continue to share the same assessment of the regional security environment.
“What certainly has not changed is that, for both Ukraine and Poland, the Russian Federation remains the principal threat. We view the threats to our independence in the same way, and that has not changed,” the President said.