Polish President considers discussions on Ukraineʼs EU and NATO accession “premature”. MFA of Ukraine says quite the opposite

Polish President Karol Nawrocki said that during a full-scale war it is too early to talk about Ukraineʼs future accession to the European Union and NATO. His statements were taken into account by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

Nawrocki said this in an interview with the Lithuanian media outlet LRT.

"I believe that a country at war cannot join NATO, as this would mean that both Poland and Lithuania would also be at war, so this discussion should be postponed. It is impossible. As for the European Union, we know that the accession processes of both our countries lasted for many years, and a lot had to be taken into account, including the impact on the economic and business sectors," the Polish president said.

In his opinion, it is also too early to discuss Ukraineʼs membership in the EU.

"Of course, I believe that Ukraine should be part of civilization in the future... However, in my opinion, todayʼs discussion about Ukraineʼs membership in the European Union is premature," Nawrocki emphasized, adding that he personally does not participate in such discussions.

The Polish President also recalled that his country "was the first to provide Ukraine with such significant assistance in the form of military equipment and to host a million Ukrainians".

How did people in Ukraine react?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine responded to the statements of the Polish president and emphasized that Ukraineʼs security future is inextricably linked to NATO, and its political and economic future is with the EU.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Ukraineʼs membership in these alliances is a guarantee of security for all of Europe and the Euro-Atlantic community.

"This position has been confirmed both in NATO and EU decisions, as well as in numerous statements by the leaders of partner countries, in particular Poland," the department emphasized.

The Foreign Ministry concluded that discussing Ukraineʼs future membership in NATO and the EU is not premature, but on the contrary, is strategically necessary in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

They also thanked Poland for the leadership it has demonstrated in supporting Ukraine since 2022.

• Earlier this year, Nawrocki said he did not see Ukraine in international alliances until Kyiv answered “for the Volyn crime”, referring to the Volyn tragedy. In May, he promised not to let Ukraine join NATO.
• He also opposes the “inflow of illegal immigrants” and the sending of Polish soldiers to Ukraine. According to him, Ukraine treats Poland “unfairly”. Thus, on August 25, the Polish president vetoed a bill that provided for payments and free medical care for unemployed Ukrainians.

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