Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki has distanced himself from European leaders who have supported Denmark in its dispute with US President Donald Trump over the future of Greenland.
Nawrocki, during his visit to the UK, told BBC’s Radio Four on January 13, that Greenland is a matter that should be left for Denmark , which owns the vast island, and the US to settle, without European interference.
Poland’s opposition Conservatives (PiS) and the Trump-allied Nawrocki rejected concerns over the US President’s statements, including threats to take over Greenland.
Nawrocki said he believed: “Discussion should remain a matter between the Prime Minister of Denmark [Mette Frederiksen] and President Trump” and should not affect relations between Europe and the US as a whole.
He also said he understood only too well the US President’s concern over Russia and China posing a threat to Greenland and thus North America.
With that stance, Nawrocki differed from Tusk’s centre-left government, which has backed Denmark and expressed concern that the dispute over Greenland could damage NATO.
Tusk signed up to a joint statement with Frederiksen a few days ago and the leaders of the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, effectively backing Denmark in the dispute. News emerged yesterday that Germany was to send a small contingent of troops to Greenland.
In his BBC interview, Nawrocki also said Trump was the only world leader capable of stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin and called for greater European support for the US President’s efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Nawrocki described Putin as untrustworthy and acknowledged that Europe was living in “dangerous times” because of hybrid threats and the war in Ukraine.
“We in Poland don’t know any Russia other than an aggressive Russia,” said Nawrocki, referring to his country’s history of conflict with its eastern neighbour.
“Russia is still a threat to Europe and Donald Trump is the only leader who can solve this and we have to support him in this process,” he stated.
Nawrocki insisted the US remains Europe’s key security guarantor, despite recent tensions within NATO.
“What President Trump is doing on behalf of the Europeans deserves support and great respect,” he said.
He warned against Europe drifting away from Washington, arguing that such detachment would harm both economic and military security.
He also criticised European leaders for focusing on “ideological issues such as climate policy and migration”, while failing to build long-term resilience.
“Poland is now allocating close to 5 per cent of its GDP to defence,” he noted.
Nawrocki also declared that he shares Trump’s concerns about the direction in which the European Union is heading.
He told the BBC that he has “a very similar point of view” to Trump when it comes to the idea that the European Union has been heading in the wrong direction, with “problems with immigrants and ideology being more important than substantive policy.”
“Poland joined the EU to have more freedom and not have more restrictions but today it is heading in a totally different direction,” Nawrocki said.
“Yes, I’m critical if the EU wants to change the Polish judicial system or if the EU wants to tell the Polish people what to eat while destroying Polish agriculture.”
He appealed for EU to go “back to its roots” so that its alliance with the US could be based on values and common interests.
Nawrocki also made clear, though, that he wants Poland to remain in the bloc and that his criticism and calls for reform are part of normal democratic discourse.
