President Nawrocki and Foreign Minister Sikorski clash over ambassadorial appointments, with Prime Minister Tusk defending Bogdan Klich’s role in Washington.
The Washington Dispute
A meeting scheduled for January 26 between President Karol Nawrocki and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski will address diplomatic postings. The main dispute concerns the Polish embassy in Washington, which has been led by former Defense Minister Bogdan Klich as chargé d’affaires since November 2024.
Presidential Concerns
President Nawrocki disagrees with Klich’s continued mission in Washington, stating he cannot “dignifiedly” represent Poland in the United States. The president cites Klich’s past comments that insulted current US President Donald Trump as the reason for withholding his approval of Klich’s ambassadorial nomination.
Government Response
Head of Presidential International Policy Office Marcin Przydacz stated that Klich’s days in Washington are numbered, and that Foreign Minister Sikorski is “already reconciled to the fact that Bogdan Klich will not be ambassador.” However, Prime Minister Donald Tusk directly contradicted this, saying “The days of Minister Klich are not numbered. There is no decision to withdraw Mr. Klich from the post in Washington. This is not true.”
Wider Diplomatic Standoff
The dispute between the government and Presidential Palace extends to approximately 40 foreign postings awaiting President Nawrocki’s approval. Besides Washington, other contested posts include Rome (for Ryszard Schnepf), Kyiv (for Piotr Łukasiewicz), Berlin (for Jan Tombiński), and Tehran (for Marcin Wilczek).