Poland’s president Nawrocki says only Trump capable of stopping Putin

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) - Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki said Wednesday that US President Donald Trump is the only world leader capable of stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin and ending the war in Ukraine, urging Europe to “do everything we can to support” Washington.

Speaking in London to BBC Radio 4’s Today program, Nawrocki said Trump retains the “unique authority and leverage” needed to bring Moscow to the negotiating table.

One of Europe’s most vocal allies of Trump, Nawrocki warned that Poland is facing growing aggression from Russia, describing what he called a “hybrid conflict” stretching back to 2021.

He said Russian pressure has ranged from cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns to weaponized migration across the Belarus border and, more recently, airspace incursions.

Nawrocki described the wave of drones that crossed into Polish territory from Belarus and Ukraine in September as an “extraordinary moment” in NATO’s history, saying no alliance member had previously faced an aerial threat of that scale.

“We are living in dangerous times,” he said, warning that Russia is actively probing NATO’s resolve and testing the alliance’s red lines at a time when Europe is distracted and uncertain.

Nawrocki also criticized EU member states for what he described as “detaching” from the United States and focusing on “less important” issues such as climate policy, the Green Deal and migration reform.

Europe, he argued, has spent years debating ideology instead of strengthening military resilience, while Poland has pushed defense spending close to 5% of GDP -- higher than any NATO ally except the US.

Pressed on Trump’s recent remarks about taking Greenland from Denmark “the easy way or the hard way,” Nawrocki avoided direct criticism of the US president.

He said the issue should be handled privately between Copenhagen and Washington and expressed confidence it would be resolved through dialogue “inside NATO structures.”