Karol Nawrocki, Poland's nationalist president, will meet with Viktor Orbán in Budapest on Monday evening, in a visit that underscores deepening divisions within Poland's political establishment and signals potential trouble ahead for the country's EU relations.
The meeting, reported by European Interest, comes as part of celebrations for Polish-Hungarian Friendship Day. Earlier in the day, Nawrocki will join Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok for ceremonies in Przemyśl, according to Minister Marcin Przydacz.
But the visit carries far greater significance than diplomatic protocol suggests. It represents a direct challenge to Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-European government, with the Polish presidency pursuing an independent foreign policy aligned with the continent's most notorious EU skeptic.
"In Poland, as across Central Europe, history is never far from the surface—and neither is the memory of occupation," Nawrocki has said. Yet his embrace of Orbán's brand of nationalism sits uncomfortably with Poland's traditional commitment to European unity and its role as a front-line NATO state facing Russian aggression.
The timing is particularly awkward. Hungary's foreign minister currently faces allegations of leaking EU classified information to Russia—accusations that have sent shockwaves through Brussels. Nawrocki's visit, rather than distancing Poland from Budapest's controversies, appears designed to demonstrate solidarity.
This creates a fundamental contradiction in Polish policy. While Tusk's government works to restore Warsaw's standing in Brussels after years of rule-of-law conflicts under the previous Law and Justice (PiS) government, Nawrocki—backed by nationalist and conservative forces—pulls in the opposite direction.
The president's Budapest trip highlights the institutional tensions that have emerged since Tusk's coalition took power. Unlike in most European democracies, Poland's president wields significant foreign policy influence, particularly over defense and diplomatic appointments. Nawrocki, who ran with PiS backing, has used that authority to pursue an agenda at odds with the elected government.
