Polish government spokesperson Adam Szlapka has refuted statements by former Ambassador to Ukraine Bartosz Cichocki that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has allegedly canceled a visit to Gdansk, Poland, where the international Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) is scheduled for June 25-26, according to the website of the Polish TV channel PolSat.
"We have no signs that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be present," Szlapka said.
At the same time, he emphasized that the government has not yet received information regarding Zelenskyy's participation in the conference, adding that regardless of this, the event "will definitely take place, and there will be Ukrainian representation since it concerns the reconstruction of Ukraine," noting that it is vital for the Polish side to participate in it.
"Perhaps there will be representatives of the government... The real, practical dimension is much more important than the political dimension... This was supposed to concern economic issues, the issue of concrete work... Our task at the moment, when we are experiencing great tension, is rather to de-escalate and ensure that Polish interests regarding security and the economy are realized," the Polish government representative said.
When asked whether the Ukrainian-Polish diplomatic crisis will affect the atmosphere of the negotiations, he assessed that it "definitely will." "It cannot be denied that we find ourselves in an unprecedented situation, the greatest tension in many years... It is all the more important that we can talk about the future," Szlapka said.
He also stated that he was "surprised by the discussion" regarding the lack of an invitation to Polish President Karol Nawrocki to the Ukraine Recovery Conference, pointing out that it is a government event and that the Polish head of state also did not invite government representatives to presidential events.
"A reconstruction conference of this type was also held in Berlin; before that, it was held in Rome. Neither the German nor the Italian president was there... There is absolutely no malice here, but let's be frank: the Presidential Palace showed no interest in this conference, except negative interest," Szlapka added.
Spokesperson for the Polish head of state Rafal Leskiewicz stated a day earlier that Nawrocki had received an invitation neither from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk nor from Zelenskyy, "therefore, neither the president nor any of the officials from the office of the head of state will be at this conference."
According to Polish Radio, Head of the International Policy Bureau at the Chancellery of the President Marcin Przydacz also stated that Nawrocki had not received an invitation to URC 2026. "The organizer of the event is the government of Poland and Prime Minister Donald Tusk. From what I learned from foreign partners, such an invitation was sent jointly by Tusk and Zelenskyy in one document. My foreign colleagues ask whether President Nawrocki will be at the conference, and I reply that the president was not invited. Therefore, he is not going to an event to which he was not invited," he said.
In turn, Communications Advisor to the Ukrainian Head of State Dmytro Lytvyn, when asked by journalists regarding the invitation to Nawrocki to the conference, replied: "It is incorrect for us to invite Mr. President of Poland to an event in a Polish city; this is an internal Polish issue."
At the same time, neither he, nor Zelenskyy, nor the office of the head of state have yet provided an answer regarding Zelenskyy's participation in the conference. "They are still analyzing... As soon as a decision is made, we will report immediately," Lytvyn told journalists on Monday.
Przydacz also claimed that the Ukrainian side had allegedly canceled a planned meeting in Warsaw between Nawrocki and Zelenskyy. "We established the hour and date of this phone conversation. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian side canceled. In the course of further diplomatic conversations, a proposal emerged for President Zelenskyy to come to Warsaw. A specific date and time for this meeting were established. But again, a day before this visit, President Zelenskyy backed out of the desire to come to Warsaw, offering yet another, different time. The Presidential Palace concluded that most likely the Ukrainian side is not interested in the conversation taking place at all," he said.
Lytvyn, in turn, denied this statement. "There were no dates agreed upon by both sides," he told journalists.
Former Polish Foreign Minister, Professor Jacek Czaputowicz pointed to the uncertainty in Warsaw regarding Zelenskyy's presence at the Ukraine reconstruction conference in Gdansk. "The Polish state will lose here if Zelenskyy does not come," he said on the air of the View of Szubartowicz program, adding that Nawrocki took "inappropriate actions" by stripping Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle and that Poland lost the exchange of blows with Ukraine.
"Of course, we must demand respect for our memory of the victims in Volhynia. However, it turned out that he took these actions, revoked the order, and this is being commented on and criticized everywhere. However, there are no signs that Ukraine will change its stance. In other words, we did not win this exchange... We will not be invited to these various decisions that will take place around Ukraine. Our status, the international position of Poland, has significantly decreased, and after this act, it will decrease even further," Czaputowicz explained his position.
The Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday released an appeal to the politicians of Poland and Ukraine, calling on them to avoid confrontation and build a new, good history of Polish-Ukrainian relations. "We expect that the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdansk will become proof of Polish capability and solidarity regarding the realization of Ukraine's European aspirations in the spirit of dialogue. This corresponds to the interests of Poland. Together we are writing a new, good history of Polish-Ukrainian relations," the appeal notes.
The Polish Business Council, which unites nine of the largest organizations representing entrepreneurs and employers, also issued a call for calm in relations with Kyiv, as the tension harms the interests of both countries.
President of the Lewiatan Confederation Marek Gora, who currently heads the Council, stated that maintaining good relations is particularly crucial since Polish companies will soon be seeking contracts related to the reconstruction of Ukraine. "We are truly talking about hundreds of billions of euros that will make up investments in infrastructure, in the reconstruction of cities, in digitalization, in energy. So these are huge investments. And it would be good if Polish firms, together with European partners, also participated in this," Gora said.
