KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he wants to work with Karol Nawrocki who won Poland’s presidential election, despite the nationalist historian’s criticism of Kyiv’s plans to join NATO and the EU.
Nawrocki — who narrowly defeated Warsaw’s pro-EU mayor for the Polish presidency — has throughout his campaign criticised Kyiv, including Zelensky personally, and has used nationalist rhetoric on Ukrainian refugees living in Poland.
“I look forward to continued fruitful cooperation with Poland and with President Nawrocki personally,“ Zelensky said in a post on social media.
“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,“ Zelensky said.
Poland took in more than a million Ukrainians since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine but the country has in recent years seen growing anti-Ukrainian sentiment — a trend that only accelerated during the presidential race.
Nawrocki, endorsed by US leader Donald Trump, has been critical of Ukraine joining the EU and NATO.
While Poland’s pro-EU government has been one of Ukraine’s and Zelensky’s main supporters, Nawrocki has criticised the Ukrainian leader, accusing him of “behaving in an indecent manner towards his allies”.
Nawrocki has also pushed for Ukraine to allow the exhumations of Poles killed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II — a long point of tension between the neighbours.
