“I am not convinced today that any leader in the world, including the leaders of the countries standing here beside me, could fail to recognize the contribution of the Republic of Poland and of the Polish soldier to the security of our region and the entire world,” President Karol Nawrocki said on Sunday, commenting on recent remarks by President Donald Trump about the involvement of countries within the North Atlantic Alliance. In his view, the American leader’s statement drew the strongest reactions from those who “still have not apologized for insulting the Polish soldier.”
On Thursday, President Donald Trump told Fox News that the United States had never needed NATO’s help and had “never really asked anything” of its allies.
“They’ll say they sent troops to Afghanistan or Sudan, and they did. But they stayed a bit behind, a bit away from the front line,”
he added.
NATO leaders responded to his remarks, including Poland’s president, Karol Nawrocki. “There is no doubt that Polish soldiers are Heroes. They deserve respect and words of gratitude for their service. Forty-four brave Poles fell in Afghanistan: 43 soldiers and one civilian,” he wrote on X.
“Trump knows this”
Nawrocki was also asked about Trump’s words on Sunday in Vilnius. “[…] our allies can rely on Polish soldiers. President Trump is also aware of this. In many discussions with me, both bilateral talks and in his public statements, he has spoken about the value of the Polish soldier,” he assured.
“He concluded our most recent meeting on Thursday with the words ‘great warriors,’ fully aware that the Polish soldier is always where the interests of the Republic of Poland are at stake, or where allied interests of the North Atlantic Alliance, NATO, are involved,”
he said.
He added that he did not know whom Trump had specifically had in mind. “As we can see, all the allies have spoken out, emphasizing their commitment within the North Atlantic Alliance. Meanwhile, Ambassador Tom Rose, the U.S. ambassador, recently issued a public statement noting that the United States recognizes Poland’s significant contribution to allied operations,” he said.
“I am not convinced today that any leader in the world, including the leaders of the countries standing here beside me, could fail to recognize the contribution of the Republic of Poland and of the Polish soldier to the security of our region and the entire world,”
he emphasized, standing alongside President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda.
Will there be reflection?
He noted who in Poland reacted most strongly to the U.S. president’s statement. It is worth recalling that these included, among others, government representatives who began accusing the opposition of failing to defend the honor of the Polish uniform sufficiently.
“The loudest outcry often comes from those who still have not apologized for insulting the Polish soldier, despite being Poles, whether Polish members of parliament or Polish celebrities. I hope this entire situation will also prompt a national reflection that the uniform of the Polish soldier is sacred, both in Poland and around the world,”
he stated.