Poland's two presidential candidates, Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and historian Karol Nawrocki, clashed over the nation's relationship with Ukraine on Might 23, only a week earlier than Poles head to the polls within the June 1 presidential runoff.
Nawrocki, backed by the opposition Legislation and Justice (PiS) occasion, claimed President Volodymyr Zelensky "treats Poland badly" and defended his criticism of Ukraine's NATO bid by insisting, "I converse the language of Poles."
Nawrocki has signed an eight-point declaration that included a pledge to dam Ukraine's accession to NATO in a bid to win help from far-right politician Slawomir Mentzen, who got here in third within the first election spherical with nearly 15%.
"You're utilizing (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's language," Trzaskowski reacted, slamming Nawrocki's stance on NATO and Ukraine.
The conservative candidate rejected accusations of echoing Putin, saying, "Hundreds of thousands of Poles as we speak wish to say this, however they’ll't, as a result of the slogan 'you converse Putin's propaganda' instantly seems."
For years, the Kremlin has cited NATO enlargement as a pretext for its aggressive conduct towards neighboring nations, utilizing it to justify navy actions in Ukraine and Georgia. A ban onUkraine ever becoming a member of NATO is among the many Kremlin's important calls for for concluding a potentialpeace settlement to finish the battle it had began.
Liberal Trzaskowski, who’s backed by the ruling coalition, narrowly led the primary spherical on Might 18 with 31.4% of the vote. He’ll face conservative Nawrocki, who got here in second with 29.5%.
The talk was the final main televised showdown earlier than the June 1 runoff, during which voters will select between the 2 candidates.
Whereas the Polish presidency is essentially ceremonial, it has veto energy — a crucial verify on the federal government. With Tusk's coalition missing a three-fifths majority in parliament to override presidential vetoes, the result of the June 1 vote will form the tempo and route of key home reforms.
The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova