Poland attends G20 trade talks in Milwaukee and pursues permanent seat

Ministerial gathering in Milwaukee

The two-day G20 trade ministers' meeting opened on 30 September 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, hosted by United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. Polish Minister of Finance and Economy Andrzej Domański attended the gathering as part of a formal invitation extended by the United States, which holds the G20 presidency in 2026. The Milwaukee discussions followed a session of the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity. Simultaneously, Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau at the Chancellery of the President of Poland, participated in a G20 Sherpa meeting in Washington to coordinate preparations for the leaders' summit scheduled for December 2026 in Miami, Florida. The Polish Ministry of Development and Technology pointed to the gathering as recognition of three decades of economic transformation.

“Poland will actively participate in the work of the G20. The success of more than three decades of Poland's transformation also took place thanks to economic opening to the world. The invitation to the G20 summit confirms not only Poland's growing role in the world, but also the values we can bring to the international debate. Poland is ready to play an increasingly active role in the world.”

Bilateral outreach and trade priorities

On the sidelines of the multilateral forum, Domański arranged meetings with trade representatives from China, India, Australia, Canada, and Turkey, as well as officials from the United States. Polish trade priorities for these discussions included commercial missions, technological cooperation, and balanced bilateral trade and investment flows. The US presidency outlined an agenda focused on eliminating forced labor in international supply chains, updating most-favoured-nation principles, condemning the use of food trade as political leverage, and addressing structural excess industrial capacity. Polish officials noted that foreign expansion represents a primary engine of economic growth, making access to major global markets central to Warsaw's strategy.

“The G20 is an exceptional opportunity for Poland to be in the group of countries that shape the rules of the global economy, rather than merely being their recipients.”

The campaign for G20 inclusion

Warsaw is using its participation in the 2026 American presidency to build support for regular attendance in future rotations, beginning with the 2027 British presidency. Domański confirmed that he discussed potential participation in 2027 with the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom, noting that talks are proceeding at multiple administrative levels. Polish officials also raised the issue with counterparts in South Korea during a prior visit by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Domański to Seoul, preparing for Seoul's future term at the head of the group. Beyond guest status, Poland has formally expressed interest in securing a permanent seat in the organization.

“Regardless of that, we would like to have a permanent place in the G20. We know that this is a complex process. We know that within the G20 we have strong allies, such as the US. But this is a decision that we will work on together in the coming weeks.”

Stance on Russian delegation

Russian representation at the Wisconsin event prompted direct objections from the Polish delegation. The Russian Federation sent Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov to Milwaukee, as confirmed by Russian news agency Interfax. Domański announced that he would not engage in any bilateral or informal discussions with Russian representatives during the two-day summit, continuing the boycott observed during previous international meetings. The appearance of Russian officials follows friction at an August 2026 G20 finance ministers' meeting in Asheville, North Carolina, where the attendance of Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov drew sharp protests from European Union representatives who demanded his exclusion from the official group photograph.