“Mr. President, I suggest deleting this post,” Tusk wrote on Sept. 17. “We are not going to give up a single scrap of our territory.”
Tusk was responding to a post by the Polish President’s Office following Nawrocki’s visit to Włodawa, where he attended commemorations marking the 87th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland.
The presidential office quoted Nawrocki as saying: “We are a nation that may lose territory but will never lose its soul; we may give up territory, but we will never give up our homeland.”
The remarks, however, were made in a broader historical context rather than as a statement about Poland’s current security policy.
During his speech, Nawrocki discussed the Soviet invasion of Poland on Sept. 17, 1939, as well as earlier periods when Poland lost territory or its statehood but preserved its national identity.
He said Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union had sought to destroy Poland, but failed to eliminate the Polish nation.
Nawrocki also warned that imperial Russia had threatened the sovereignty of Central European countries for centuries and said Poland understood the danger posed by Moscow through its own historical experience.
Tusk warns Russia is already waging hybrid war against Poland
Tusk separately issued a statement marking the anniversary of the Soviet invasion, focusing on present-day threats from Russia.
“Today I say with full force: We will not be intimidated,” the prime minister said.
“Russia does not even have to cross our border. It is already waging a hybrid war against us using drones, acts of sabotage and disinformation on the internet.”
Tusk said any direct attack on Poland would be met with a response from both the country and its allies, adding that Poland would not repeat the lessons of September 1939.
Polish authorities have increasingly warned that Russia could intensify provocations and hybrid operations against NATO countries supporting Ukraine.