Tusk, Nawrocki Clash Over Poland ‘Giving Up Territory’ in WWII Statement

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk publicly rebuked President Karol Nawrocki over a social media post saying the Polish nation could lose or “surrender” territory while never surrendering its homeland.Nawrocki published the message Thursday to mark the 87th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Poland on Sept. 17, 1939. Soviet troops entered eastern Poland less than three weeks after Nazi Germany invaded the country from the west.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“We are a nation that may lose territory, but we will never lose our soul; we may surrender territory, but we will never surrender our Homeland,” Nawrocki wrote.Tusk urged the president to remove the post.“Mr. President, I suggest deleting this post,” the prime minister wrote. “We are not going to give up a single piece of our territory.”Nawrocki rejected the criticism, saying his comments referred to Poland’s experience during World War II.“Mr. Prime Minister, historian, today is September 17th... An important anniversary. It’s worth knowing: 87 years ago we lost territory, but we did not lose our Homeland,” he responded.The president then shifted the dispute to domestic politics, telling Tusk to spend less time commenting online and instead consider his proposal to reduce fuel prices.“I suggest deleting fuel prices ;),” Nawrocki wrote. Panie Premierze, historyku, dziś jest 17 września... Ważna rocznica. Warto wiedzieć: 87 lat temu straciliśmy terytorium, ale nie straciliśmy Ojczyzny 🇵🇱A swoją drogą, zamiast recenzowania i surfowania w internecie, polecam jak najszybciej pochylić się nad moją ustawą o… https://t.co/ydTiUgm865— Karol Nawrocki (@NawrockiKn) September 17, 2026 The exchange highlighted continuing political tensions between Poland’s president and prime minister, even as both have warned about the security threat posed by Russia. Other Topics of Interest Warsaw Signals Readiness for US Army Base in Poland The Polish president said his government would work to provide the “best possible location” for the potential US Army base. The two have clashed over issues ranging from national identity disputes with Ukraine to diplomatic approaches, with liberal-leaning Tusk often criticizing decisions by conservative-leaning Nawrocki and vice versa.During a separate commemorative ceremony Wednesday, Nawrocki said Russia’s conduct had not changed since the Soviet invasion of Poland.“Russia continues to provoke because Russia does not change,” Nawrocki said, according to Polish outlet RMF24.Nawrocki made the remarks while discussing a Russian drone incident near Poland’s border. He said he remained in regular contact with senior Polish military officers and the country’s National Security Bureau.The president also warned that hybrid warfare, including destabilization, disinformation and attempts to divide society, could precede a conventional military attack.“Hybrid warfare does not have to be an alternative to kinetic operations and an attack on land. It can be preparation for what happened on Sept. 17, 1939.”Polish military aircraft operated in the country’s airspace earlier this week as Russia carried out strikes in western Ukraine near the Polish border. Authorities later ended the operation and lifted alerts in the affected regions.Nawrocki said each Russian provocation presented a task for Poland’s president, while calling for political compromise on national security.“Compromise is not submission. On security issues, we must have the strength and courage to seek even small compromises that show we are a national community mobilized to defend Poland’s borders.” Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.