President Karol Nawrocki, speaking to the British broadcaster, said that Donald Trump is the only global leader capable of stopping Vladimir Putin from posing a threat to Europe. He stressed that the hybrid war waged by Russia shows that “we are living in dangerous times”.
During the two-day visit of the Polish president to London, the head of state gave an interview on the morning program “Today” on BBC Radio 4.
In the conversation, he warned that the Russian leader cannot be trusted and that Europe must do everything in its power to support President Donald Trump in his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
“I do not trust Vladimir Putin at all. But we must think about how to end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. This means we have to do everything to support Donald Trump in his efforts to resolve this problem, because only he can make Putin stop threatening Europe,” said Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
In his view, the American leader is the only person who can “solve the problem” of Putin threatening Europe. “I think we all in Europe are aware that the United States is the guarantor of security for our part of the world. And for that I am grateful to Donald Trump, because he understands how much Europe needs him,” he added.
The interview also recalled the September incursion of Russian drones over Poland from the territory of Belarus and Ukraine. Nawrocki described it as an “extraordinary situation”, explaining that “until then, no NATO member state had experienced a drone attack on such a scale”. He said that Russia is testing Poland’s defenses and NATO solidarity. On this occasion, he also mentioned the deployment by the British Air Force – for which he expressed gratitude to the United Kingdom – of Eurofighter Typhoon jets that support Poland in patrolling the eastern border of NATO.
Hybrid war as Russia’s gray zone of activity
The president recalled that since 2021 Poland has been on the front line of a hybrid war conducted by Russia. He cited as examples Poland’s struggles with drone attacks and disinformation. He emphasized that this Russian gray zone shows that “we are living in dangerous times”.
Later in the conversation, the Polish president was asked about his friendship with Donald Trump and transatlantic relations. He stressed that despite recent statements by American officials, the United States remains the guarantor of security in Europe. He warned against Europe cutting itself off from cooperation with the US, arguing that this does not serve either the economic or military security of the European Union.
Nawrocki also criticized the involvement of European politicians in “less important matters, ideological issues such as the European Green Deal, climate policy, migration issues” instead of building resilience and security. “Europe should know that investing in security is the most important goal and that building transatlantic relations with the United States is essential,” he emphasized.
He added that Poland currently allocates nearly 5 percent of its GDP to defense. The president explained his critical stance toward the Union. “Poland joined the EU to have more freedom, not more restrictions,” he recalled.
“The Union was created on different foundations, and today it is moving in a completely different direction. In Poland, the most important thing is the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. And yes – I am critical if the Union wants to change the Polish system, the Polish political order, if it wants to tell Poles what they should eat and what they should not, if the Union signs an agreement with Mercosur countries, destroying Polish agriculture,” he assessed. “I appeal: let us return to our roots, see our potential, which lies in our economy and our values, and then a beautiful future lies ahead of us,” the Polish leader added.