President-elect Karol Nawrocki has officially launched his diplomatic agenda with a visit to Brussels, where he met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The meeting marked Nawrocki’s first major international engagement since winning the election. According to Marcin Przydacz, PiS MP and the incoming presidential advisor for foreign affairs, the talks centered around security issues, NATO’s eastern flank, and broader geopolitical threats emanating from the East.
“The president-elect has started his diplomatic activity with a visit to Brussels and a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte,” Przydacz announced. He emphasized that the invitation for an informal dinner meeting came directly from Rutte.
“The atmosphere was excellent. The meeting, which was initially scheduled to be brief, lasted two hours. It turned into a more relaxed, informal exchange—one could say even jackets were off,” Przydacz described. “You could sense genuine chemistry between Secretary General Rutte and President-elect Nawrocki.”
Key issues discussed during the Tuesday meeting included security policy, the outcomes of the recent NATO summit in The Hague, implementation of agreed measures, transatlantic relations, and NATO’s current challenges. “But for us, the most important topic remains the Eastern policy—dealing with threats from the East,” Przydacz noted. Migration issues and internal challenges were also on the agenda.
During his Brussels visit, Nawrocki also met with Poland’s permanent representative to NATO, Jacek Najder.
Asked about potential future scenarios, including NATO enlargement or new defense commitments, Przydacz responded: “Such scenarios require unanimous consent from all NATO members. Right now, we should focus on the pressing challenges of today rather than speculate about the distant future.”
He reiterated Nawrocki’s stance on Ukraine’s European future. “The president-elect has repeatedly stated that Ukraine belongs not to the civilizational East, but to the West. However, this also requires gestures and action from the Ukrainian side—starting with historical accountability and extending to economic issues important to Poland,” Przydacz said.
Looking ahead to Nawrocki’s presidency, set to begin on August 6, Przydacz revealed plans to invest substantial diplomatic energy into building a regional security coalition in Central Europe. “There will certainly be visits across Central and Eastern Europe,” he confirmed.
Among the capitals Nawrocki aims to visit after taking office are Washington, Berlin, Vilnius, Prague, Bratislava, and Kyiv—essentially, all of Poland’s key neighbors. “It’s clear that dialogue with neighbors is essential—even with those with whom we have disagreements. That’s the essence of diplomacy,” Przydacz stated.
When asked whether Nawrocki’s cooperation with the current government was discussed, Przydacz clarified that NATO’s Secretary General does not intervene in domestic politics. “What matters most is the relationship between the president, as commander-in-chief, and the defense minister, who oversees the military’s operations.”
He also noted that Nawrocki has already spoken with Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, a promising sign. “Both men understand that national security should unite us, regardless of political differences,” Przydacz concluded.