Slawomir Mentzen, Krakow, Poland, May 16, 2025. © Klaudia Radecka / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Poland must prevent Ukrainian migrants from gaining political influence in the country, MP Slawomir Mentzen has warned, following reports about the potential for the diaspora to achieve representation in the Polish parliament.

”They feel entitled to tell Poles how our homeland should look!” Mentzen, leader of the libertarian New Hope party, wrote on X on Monday. “They have no right to do this. Let’s not allow foreign interests to decide Poland’s future!”

The MP was responding to an article discussing proposals by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to tighten naturalization laws. The piece examined potential steps by the Ukrainian community in Poland, which expanded significantly after the 2022 conflict between Kiev and Moscow.

”Assuming that 70 to 80 percent of Ukrainians who already hold long-term residency apply for Polish citizenship, we’ll have tens of thousands of applicants in the next five years,” the article estimated, based on the idea that current rules would remain unchanged. It argued that even modest naturalization rates could influence election outcomes in regions with sizable foreign populations, suggesting Ukrainians might gain seats in the Sejm as early as 2027.

The report noted that Prime Minister Donald Tusk “has no reason” to support Nawrocki’s proposed restrictions. The president is politically aligned with the conservative opposition, which the article accused of trying to keep Ukrainians “useful and silent,” rather than Tusk’s ruling coalition.

Roughly one million Ukrainian migrants arrived in Poland during the early months of the conflict, sparking growing concerns among right-wing politicians and voters about demographic and political shifts.