Presidential debates in Poland: Nawrocki and Trzaskowski argue about Ukraine and Zelenskyy
On the evening of May 23, during a televised debate between Polish presidential candidates Rafał Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki, one of the most pressing topics of discussion was Ukraine and its attitude.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to PAP.
Thus, Nawrocki, who is supported by the opposition, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy allegedly has a bad attitude towards Poland, while the pro-government candidate Trzaskowski accused him of speaking the language of dictator Vladimir Putin on the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO.
Both candidates asked each other three questions in six thematic blocks on health, international politics, economy, social policy, security, and worldview.
The issues of migration and Ukraine repeatedly came up in the discussion.
Assistance to Ukraine from Poland
Both candidates distanced themselves from the migration pact, with Nawrocki reiterating that if he becomes president, he would unilaterally terminate the pact, while Trzaskowski claimed that the pact "will never come into force" because of the assistance Poland has provided to Ukraine.
"I was the one who wrote down in the EU documents that if we help Ukrainians, we will not accept anyone else," Trzaskowski said.
However, Nawrocki accused him of lying and asked him to point to a specific document. Trzaskowski replied that he was referring to a resolution from 2015, to which Navrotsky replied: "I don't think there was a war in Ukraine in 2015."
To this, Trzaskowski replied that Russia's occupation of Crimea was already a war.
Ukraine's accession to NATO
During a block of questions on security, Trzaskowski asked Nawrocki, among other things, whether he opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO, noting that he was then expressing the same opinion as Russian dictator Putin on the issue.
"I speak the language of Poles; (...) If President Zelenskyy treats us badly, we have the right to say so. And millions of Poles in Poland today would like to say this, but they cannot, because the slogan 'you are spreading Putin's propaganda' immediately appears," Nawrocki said.
He added that "as a person persecuted by the Russian Federation," he can be "the voice of those who do not agree that Ukraine is flooding us with grain and creating unequal conditions for competition."
When asked about his relationship with US President Donald Trump, Trzaskowski noted that he has never said a "bad word" about him and has "sensational relations with the Republicans."
"Trump is not the kind of person who likes people who come to kiss him in the ring. He appreciates those who are tough and have influence," he said.
Nawrocki acknowledged that "in fact, Trump likes strong and influential men who speak with the voice of their people and for their cause."
