After his visits to the United States and the Vatican, President Karol Nawrocki continues his foreign journey, heading to Vilnius. There – tomorrow – he is scheduled to meet with President Gitanas Nausėda. Afterwards, President Nawrocki will travel to Helsinki, where on Tuesday he will meet, among others, with President Alexander Stubb.
Karol Nawrocki, President of the Republic of Poland, since taking office on August 6, has already visited the United States, where he met with President Donald Trump, as well as Rome, where he met with Pope Leo XIV and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The President will visit more countries
During the election campaign, Nawrocki had already pointed to Lithuania as one of the first destinations for his foreign visits. After winning the second round of the presidential election in June, it was most likely Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda who was the first foreign leader Nawrocki spoke with – after the results were announced, he connected with his predecessor Andrzej Duda, who was in Lithuania at the time, as well as with President Nausėda.
President Nawrocki will begin his visit to Vilnius on Monday morning at the Presidential Palace, where he will meet with Nausėda – first in a small group, and later during a plenary session of both delegations. Following the talks, a joint press conference of the presidents is planned.
In the afternoon, Presidents Nawrocki and Nausėda will visit the Gate of Dawn, after which the Polish President will go to the Antakalnis Cemetery, where he will lay flowers at the Memorial to the Fallen for the Freedom of Lithuania, commemorating, among others, the victims of clashes with Soviet soldiers in January 1991. He will also pay tribute to Polish soldiers resting in a designated section of the necropolis.
The next stop will be the Rasos Cemetery, where Nawrocki will lay wreaths at the Mausoleum of the Mother and the Heart of the Son – the burial place of Maria Piłsudska and the heart of Józef Piłsudski – as well as at the Chapel of the January Insurgents, where, among others, Konstanty Kalinowski and Zygmunt Sierakowski are buried.
During his visit to Vilnius, the President will also meet with the Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas Saulius Skvernelis and with representatives of the Polish minority in Lithuania – during a ceremony at the Polish Embassy.
After Lithuania – Finland
On Monday evening, President Nawrocki will travel to Helsinki, where on Tuesday morning he will meet with Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The meeting will include small-group talks, followed by delegation talks and a joint press conference. Later, President Nawrocki will also meet with the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament – the Eduskunta – Jussi Halla-aho.
On Tuesday afternoon, Presidents Nawrocki and Stubb will lay wreaths at the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki – at the Cross of Heroes and at the grave of Marshal Carl Gustaf Mannerheim, who played a key role in Finland’s regaining independence in 1918 and commanded the country’s defense during the Winter War.
As part of his visit to Helsinki, Nawrocki will also visit a civil defense shelter in the Merihaka district – a large underground complex that serves daily functions, including sports and educational activities, and in a crisis situation can provide shelter for hundreds of people.