More Poles support President Nawrocki's approach to Ukraine than the government's – poll
Polish President Karol Nawrocki's approach to Ukraine enjoys greater public support than the policy pursued by Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government, according to a new poll.
Source: an SW Research poll conducted for Polish news portal Onet, as reported by European Pravda
Details: In late May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy granted a Ukrainian military unit the honorary designation "named after the Heroes of the UPA", prompting outrage in Poland. Since then, relations between Warsaw and Kyiv have deteriorated noticeably.
Nawrocki decided to revoke the Order of the White Eagle previously awarded to Zelenskyy, while the Ukrainian president returned the decoration to Poland by post before the revocation procedure had been completed. Additional tensions arose over Zelenskyy's absence from the the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk and the draft law on the Ukrainian National Pantheon.
From the outset, Nawrocki has taken a hard line towards Kyiv. Tusk adopted a more flexible approach. Although he criticised Zelenskyy's decision to name the military unit after UPA heroes, he stressed the need to de-escalate tensions.
Respondents were asked whose approach to Ukraine they supported. Nawrocki's position was backed by 42.6% of respondents, while 32.5% supported the government's approach, represented by Tusk and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski.
A further 14.6% did not support either side, while 10.4% said they were not interested in the issue.
The SW Research poll for Onet was conducted on 1 July 2026 using computer-assisted web interviewing (CAWI) through the SW Panel. The survey covered a nationwide sample of 832 adults.
Background:
- On 3 July, Sikorski met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Warsaw, where Sybiha proposed "a package of anti-crisis steps" aimed at easing tensions in bilateral relations.
- Sybiha also said he had received assurances from Sikorski that Poland will continue supporting Ukraine in strengthening its defence capabilities.
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