On September 11, Poland’s National Security Council met at the Presidential Palace after Russian drones intruded into Polish airspace; Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said he did not shake hand with Slawomir Cenckiewicz.
Tension at the National Security Council Meeting
In a meeting convened after Russian drones entered Polish airspace, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski reportedly did not shake hand with Slawomir Cenckiewicz. Speaking to “Fakt,” he said Cenckiewicz should decide whether he views Poles as Russian or German agents, and that he would not want Cenckiewicz to feel discomfort offering a hand to a Russian or German agent.
Cenckiewicz on Sikorski
Relations between the two politicians are strained, a fact both deny. Cenckiewicz has repeatedly criticized Sikorski, calling him “a specific figure of Polish politics” on Radio ZET at the end of September. He accused Sikorski of insulting many people through his conduct and claimed Sikorski is the only person capable of advising President Karol Nawrocki on how to act or teaching him diplomatic or cultural etiquette.
Dispute Over Ambassadors
The current conflict stems from disagreements over staffing Polish diplomatic posts. President Nawrocki, like former President Andrzej Duda, has not approved the appointments of Bogdan Klich in Washington and Ryszard Schnepf in Rome; both remain charge d’affaires. An October meeting between President Nawrocki and Foreign Minister Sikorski is expected to address the ambassadorial issue. The president and his office have exchanged “courtesies” with Sikorski and his ministry since the president’s inauguration, among other frictions, including the foreign minister’s exclusion from the president’s flight to the United States.
