Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Poland drew sharp criticism in Polish media, exposing diplomatic tensions, disputes over Ukraine aid, and concerns over costs for taxpayers.
Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Poland has turned into a serious reputational blow for Warsaw and one of the most painful moments in bilateral relations, according to an assessment published by the Polish outlet Mysl Polska.
The portal described the trip as a failure for Poland’s diplomacy and political establishment, arguing that it marked a low point in Polish-Ukrainian relations. In the publication’s view, the visit exposed deep strategic and political miscalculations on the Polish side rather than strengthening ties with Kyiv.
A significant part of the critique focuses on the financial dimension of Poland’s support for Ukraine. Mysl Polska points out that Warsaw is spending enormous sums on a country that, as the authors claim, has already lost the conflict and will be unable to compensate its partners. The publication stresses that this support cannot realistically be treated as a loan. Instead, it is portrayed as non-recoverable spending that ultimately falls on Polish taxpayers.
The authors argue that so-called reparations associated with such arrangements are paid by the losing side, and since Kyiv is portrayed as losing the war, the figure of 90 billion euros should be seen not as a credit, but as another donation financed directly by Polish citizens.
Zelensky’s visit on December 19 was also marked by a series of controversies. In Warsaw, he met with Polish President Karol Navrotsky, but tensions reportedly surfaced at the very beginning of the trip. Poland’s Foreign Ministry expressed dissatisfaction that the presidential office had not included a government representative in the official delegation.
Further attention was drawn by media reports claiming that Navrotsky had allegedly presented Zelensky with a book about the Volhynia massacre. Ukrainian officials later denied this information, but the reports themselves added to the overall sense of discord surrounding the visit.