Polish President Karol Nawrocki has called Prime Minister Donald Tusk the “worst prime minister in the post-1989 history of Poland,” sparking a public dispute over national issues and positions on Ukraine. In an interview, Nawrocki criticized Tusk’s leadership, citing his refusal to assign officer ranks to 136 graduates who completed intelligence and counter-intelligence training. Tusk responded by stating that being president requires more than just winning an election, implying Nawrocki’s actions.

Nawrocki also accused Tusk of forbidding the heads of Poland’s secret services from attending a meeting with the president, noting this was the first time since 1989 that intelligence chiefs skipped the traditional get-together. The president claimed Poland had “gone too far” in supporting Ukraine at the cost of its own interests.

Nawrocki, who took office earlier this year, previously reaffirmed general support for Ukraine but opposed its membership in NATO and the EU. In September, he signed a bill tightening benefit eligibility criteria for Ukrainian migrants.

Poland has been one of Kiev’s most vocal backers since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, though public support for accepting Ukrainians has declined significantly. A survey by the pollster CBOS indicated approval for accepting Ukrainians dropped from 94% in early 2022 to just 48%.

In September, Tusk admonished his compatriots for having developed “antipathy” toward Ukraine, blaming Russia. Addressing the Warsaw Security Forum, he insisted that the conflict “is also our war,” and is of fundamental importance to the West as a whole.