PiS Aims to Sabotage Gdańsk Conference: Nawrocki’s Diplomatic Gamble

The upcoming Ukraine Reconstruction Conference in Gdańsk will proceed without President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as political maneuvering by Karol Nawrocki creates friction between the Polish government and the Ukrainian leadership.

The Diplomatic Standoff

The Ukraine Reconstruction Conference is scheduled for this Thursday and Friday in Gdańsk. President Zelenskyy will not attend, with Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko representing the Ukrainian government. The absence stems from a diplomatic rift triggered by the naming of a Ukrainian army unit after UPA figures.

Sources from the Prime Minister’s Office suggest Karol Nawrocki intentionally sought to strain relations to prevent Zelenskyy’s attendance. This strategy allegedly explains the timing of the decision to revoke Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle, which was announced just one week before the conference.

International Presence and Political Fallout

Despite the tensions, over 50 countries will send official delegations to the event, including Ursula von der Leyen, Friedrich Merz, Antonio Costa, and Andrej Babiš. This high-level turnout undermines claims that Prime Minister Donald Tusk is being ignored by EU leaders regarding the future of Ukraine.

Critics also suggest that Nawrocki’s focus on the order was a tactical move to distract from recent internal scandals, including reports of irregularities at the Southern Hospital in Warsaw.

Calculated Risks in Polish-Ukrainian Relations

Insiders note that Zelenskyy opted to return the order directly to avoid forcing Tusk into a formal countersignature, which would have escalated a domestic political conflict into an international crisis. Tusk has emphasized that Poland remains committed to the conference, which is expected to facilitate significant agreements for post-war reconstruction.

Meanwhile, opposition figures like Marcin Przydacz have described the situation as a humiliation for the Prime Minister. Zelenskyy himself has dismissed the controversy as a symptom of Poland’s internal election cycle, while Nawrocki insists the dispute is rooted in historical grievances rather than domestic politics.