Immediately following the presidential elections, a diplomatic scandal erupted at the Polish embassy in Berlin, attended by the foreign ministers of Poland and Germany. Filmmaker Elwira Niewiera, awarded by the ministers, stated that Karol Nawrocki “would not have won the elections without support from Russian propaganda.” This assertion did not elicit any protest from the ambassador or diplomats present in the room. Instead, her remarks were met with applause.
Polish and German foreign ministers Radosław Sikorski and Johann Wadephul inaugurated the Polish-German Forum in Berlin on Wednesday. Politicians, experts, business leaders, cultural figures, and representatives of NGOs gathered to discuss the future of Polish-German relations, under the motto “Community for Difficult Times.”
The ministers presented the 2025 Polish-German Award to filmmaker Elwira Niewiera and the Bredbeck Educational Center. The jury honored them “as representatives of civil society from both countries, promoting dialogue between Poland and Germany, combined with active support for Ukraine.”
Controversial Statements
The opening ceremony, attended by the ministers, took place at the new building of the Polish Embassy. After ministers Sikorski and Wadephul praised the awardees, the laureates took the floor. The ministers left the hall after their speeches, leaving behind Polish and German diplomats, including Ambassador Jan Tombiński.
In concluding her speech, Elwira Niewiera said:
“Russia is waging war by spreading disinformation, propaganda, and attempting to divide our societies. It is vital that today we defend the truth and our shared democratic values. But what happened in our country on Sunday—I mean the elections—left me feeling powerless. I believe we lack sufficient tools to defend ourselves against Russian disinformation and its influence. Mr. Nawrocki would not have won these elections without support from Russian propaganda. Russia is not just Ukraine’s problem. It is a real threat to our democracy.”
Her comments did not provoke any negative reaction from Ambassador Tombiński, Polish diplomats, or representatives of Polish-German foundations present in the hall. Even worse, the speech received applause.
Manipulation by PAP
The account of the event by the Polish Press Agency (PAP) also draws attention. Its author, Jacek Lepiarz, led the Warsaw bureau of the German news agency DPA from 2008 to 2011 and later worked for Deutsche Welle. After the political change in Poland in 2024, he was hired by PAP. In his dispatch on Niewiera’s speech, Lepiarz wrote:
“In a highly emotional speech, Niewiera sharply criticized Western countries for negotiating with Russia since 2014, while Russian soldiers ‘tortured Ukrainian prisoners, including women, in Donbas.'”
Below is a recording of the controversial statement, which was “overlooked” by state media:
The critical segment of the speech begins at the 47th minute of the recording.