Under the previous rule of the Law and Justice (PiS) party, which backed Nawrocki, relationships between Brussels and Warsaw became strained over clampdowns on human rights and backsliding on the rule of law, culminating in the suspension of EU funds for Poland.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist government, which took power in 2023, attempted to restore relations and repair democratic institutions, but the previous president from PiS, Andrzej Duda, stood in the way with his veto power. Euroskeptic Nawrocki, who hinted strongly that he would fight any EU federalist tendencies, is poised to continue Duda’s efforts.
“I’m confident that the EU will continue its very good cooperation with Poland,” von der Leyen wrote. “We are all stronger together in our community of peace, democracy, and values.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also expressed hope that the two allied countries would continue close cooperation. On the campaign trail, Nawrocki promised he would block Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, but agreed to continue providing weapons as Kyiv resists Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“By reinforcing one another on our continent, we give greater strength to Europe in global competition and bring the achievement of real and lasting peace closer,” he wrote in a congratulatory post on X. “I look forward to continued fruitful cooperation with Poland and with President Nawrocki personally.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, another conservative nationalist, who now likely has another ally in Warsaw, was more enthusiastic in his congratulations.
