Polish elections: Where leading candidates stand on Ukraine
Photo: The first round of elections in Poland will be held on May 18 (GettyImages)
The first round of the Presidential elections in Poland is set for May 18. The main candidates are Rafał Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki, according to the RBC-article.
In matters of security, both candidates have expressed nearly identical rhetoric regarding Ukraine, according to Bartłomiej Biskup, a political analyst and professor at the University of Warsaw.
Their positions reflect the prevailing sentiments in Polish society, where there is a clear understanding that Russia will remain a long-term threat to Poland.
However, during a debate, Trzaskowski made a surprising statement: "Since I worked in the EU, in the European Parliament, I have clearly stated that Russia is a threat, and Ukraine should be a buffer zone," the politician said.
According to Stanislav Zhelikhovskyi, PhD in Political Science and an international expert, this rhetoric may be linked to Ukraine's potential future NATO membership. The presidential candidate might have made such a statement considering the ongoing negotiations to end the Russian-Ukrainian war, in which one of the US proposals reportedly includes pausing Ukraine's path to the Alliance.
However, in general, Trzaskowski is viewed as one of the best options for Ukraine, the expert added.
Meanwhile, Nawrocki supports a peaceful resolution to the war, but believes that territorial concessions should be decided jointly by the European community and Ukraine.
But even at the Institute of National Memory, the politician declared the fight against the so-called Banderite ideology. He also repeatedly stated that Ukraine should recognize responsibility for the so-called genocide of Poles during the Volyn tragedy.
Therefore, his presidency could signal a return to blocking certain initiatives between Ukraine and Poland due to historical disagreements, the article states.
Elections in Poland
The first round of Poland's presidential election will take place on May 18. The Civic Coalition is backing the popular Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski. After several years of successfully running the Polish capital, he can boast of "success stories." Moreover, he came close to winning the presidency in the last election, narrowly losing to Andrzej Duda.
In contrast, the ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), has supported a less obvious candidate - Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance.
According to a poll by IBRiS for Polskie Radio 24, conducted on May 10–11, Trzaskowski leads with 31.5% voter support, while Nawrocki comes in second with 23.6%.
