'I am against Ukraine's entry into the European Union,' Polish president-elect Nawrocki says
"At the moment, I am against Ukraine's entry into the European Union," Polish President-elect Karol Nawrocki told Hungarian outlet Mandiner in an interview released on June 7.
"On the one hand, we must support Ukraine in its conflict with the Russian Federation, but Ukraine must understand that other countries, including Poland, Hungary, and other European countries, also have their own interests," he said.
Nawrocki won the second round of the Polish presidential election on June 1 with 50.89% of the vote. He has previously voiced opposition to Ukraine's membership in the EU and NATO, despite supporting Ukraine's sovereignty.
"Poland has such an interest, for example, in the exhumation of the Volyn (massacre) victims," Nawrocki said.
Polish and Ukrainian researchers began exhuming victims of the World War II era massacres on April 24 in Western Ukraine.
It was the first such exhumation since 2017, when Ukraine imposed a moratorium in response to the destruction of Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) memorials in Poland.
"During the campaign, I did not agree, and as president, I will not agree, to unfair competition with Ukraine for Polish agriculture or the logistics sector," Nawrocki said.
EU tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural exports resumed on June 6, amid opposition to Ukrainian exports and its EU accession from eastern European members, including Hungary and Poland.
"I see Ukraine as a country that, although it is very bravely defending itself against the Russian Federation, must also respect the interests of other countries that otherwise support Ukraine," he said.
In contrast to other Eurosceptic leaders in Europe, including Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Nawrocki does not express pro-Russian views, but has repeatedly accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of taking advantage of allies.
Read also: Wondering where to start with Dostoevsky? Try his Ukrainian contemporaries instead
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These countries form part of the Western Balkans route for migrants, popular with those fleeing Syria and Afghanistan, who typically travel overland via Bulgaria and Turkey, and, in some cases, Iran. Many of them then make their way across Europe to the northern coast of France, where they board small boats and cross the English Channel before landing on the UK's shores. In 2024, Syrians and Afghans were the top two nationalities of migrants arriving via small boats, accounting for nearly a third of all recorded Channel crossings, according to government data. Russia also has a part to play in fuelling migration, with evidence pointing to Moscow physically moving people towards the EU's borders and supporting smugglers, as a way to destabilise Europe. Efforts to address the Western Balkans route have been hailed as a success, with Frontex reporting a 78 per cent drop in irregular border crossings last year. 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Additional reporting by Javid Khan Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
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Labour's Big Worry Is No One Will Feel Record Spending Surge
Britain's Labour government will make an historic investment into the country's battered public services this week — a £300 billion ($406 billion) uplift for areas such as health care, education and transport, amounting to the largest sustained funding increase since at least 2010. The danger is the public won't notice.
