Karol Nawrocki summed up the first year of office under the motto “First Poland, first Poles”. The centre of his balance sheet included presidential legislative initiatives, relations with Ukraine, the continued presence of US troops and Poland's invitation to the G20 summit. At stake is the state's ability to conduct its own policies during the war and acute interior dispute.
Year of active presidency
Karol Nawrocki took office on August 6, 2025. In an anniversary summary, he presented the presidency as a mandate to defend the national interest besides erstwhile this leads to a dispute with the government and the majority of parliament. The slogan “First Poland, first Poles” is to be a measurement of laws, abroad decisions and safety policy.
Official data of the President's Chancellery published on June 1, 2026 covered the period from election. They indicated 20 legislative initiatives, 33 veto laws, 211 signed laws and 7 applications to the Constitutional Court. The Palace besides informed about 28 abroad visits and 14 meetings in Poland with heads of state or government. This is simply a balance of organization activity, but the number of decisions itself is not yet deciding on their quality. He's deciding the direction.
State dispute and liability
The president indicated that any of his projects were blocked in the Sejm. The conflict between the Presidential Palace and the government is simply a fact and should not be masked by authoritative language. In the constitutional system, veto is not a failure. It is simply a tool entrusted to the head of the state elected in the general election.
However, this tool requires consequences. Any refusal to sign should have clear reasons relating to security, citizens' rights or public finances. Poles do not request a war of offices for war itself. They request a fuse against bad law and projects that can be actually carried out by parliament.
Faced with Ukraine: aid without giving up its own rights
The President's line against the war remains clear: Russia is an aggressor, and the strategical interest of Poland is military support of Ukraine. At the same time, aid must not mean suspension of Polish interests, unequal access to benefits or silence in historical matters. In August 2025, justifying the veto to amend the Act on Assistance to Ukrainian Citizens, Nawrocki stressed the importance of support for the state attacked by Russia, but demanded that national solutions be corrected.
This is the realism Poland needs. The safety of Ukraine affects the safety of our east border, but the Polish state answers first to its own citizens. Partnership must work both ways. It includes military assistance, fair rules of benefits and a hard request for fact and commemorative Polish victims of the Volyn crime.
US troops and Poland's place in G20
Nawrocki ranked the procedures for the permanent presence of American troops in Poland as priorities. In the geographic position of our country, the alliance presence has a real deterrent value. However, it does not exempt us from expanding our own army, defence industry, supplies and infrastructure resilience. The Alliance works best erstwhile Poland brings strength, not just a request for protection.
The second strong point is the invitation of Poland to the G20 summit by US president Donald Trump. Participation at the table of the largest economies alone does not warrant success. However, it gives the chance to advance Polish companies and to present its own position in matters of trade, energy and security. This chance must be taken without complexes.
Presidentship measured by the interest of Poles
After the first year we see a model of active presidency, eager to usage veto and powerfully present in abroad policy. The assessment of the next years will depend on whether permanent results will follow the clear language: better law, stronger army, more favourable economical relations and greater subjectivity of Poland.
The Presidential Palace makes sense erstwhile it guards the continuity of the state over the word of 1 government. Poland cannot be a pedent either to Brussels or to Kiev or to Washington. I want him to be a loyal ally who knows his own worth and who can name his own business.
