Polish president sidesteps defence chief in showdown over generals

Tensions between President Karol Nawrocki and the leadership of the Ministry of National Defence of Poland have escalated into open conflict after the president convened a meeting with senior military commanders without prior coordination with Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

According to Onet, the meeting took place at the Presidential Palace and was attended by leading generals. A source close to the defence ministry described the move as a deliberate show of authority. “It was a show of strength. The president wanted to show the minister that he can communicate with his subordinates whenever he wants,” the source said.

The source added that established protocol had traditionally required the president to request such meetings through the defence minister rather than contacting generals directly. While this process was usually a formality, it was respected by the armed forces, the Presidential Palace, and the ministry. Only one exception was recalled, when Antoni Macierewicz refused permission for General Leszek Surawski, then Chief of the General Staff, to meet President Andrzej Duda.

Military officials emphasized that the president’s decision challenges the customary chain of command, under which the armed forces report to the defence minister in peacetime, while the president, as supreme commander, exercises authority through the minister. Before attending the meeting, the generals themselves sought approval from the defence minister.

“None of us will act blindly and attend such a meeting without the consent of the head of the Ministry of Defence. But what the president’s team is doing is an attempt to use the military and draw it into political games. Once again we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, and these are times when we truly have a lot of work,” a senior general said.

Sources indicated that the meeting was intended as a demonstration, with Nawrocki seeking to directly influence senior officers and reinforce his standing within the military following a decline in support linked to his veto of the SAFE law.

Additional concern was raised over the presence of Sławomir Cenckiewicz, head of the National Security Bureau, who reportedly does not hold clearance for classified information.

By Tamilla Hasanova