Macron and Tusk Forge Security Alliance in Gdańsk Amid Presidential Snub

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Gdańsk on Monday, April 20, 2026, for a Polish-French intergovernmental summit, meeting Prime Minister Donald Tusk and former President Lech Wałęsa but conspicuously omitting any encounter with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. The summit, held on the occasion of Polish-French Friendship Day, covered three main areas: defense and security, energy cooperation, and culture. Tusk and Macron held a joint press conference in which both leaders emphasized the durability of bilateral ties and their shared commitment to supporting Ukraine. The visit drew immediate political controversy over the absence of a Nawrocki-Macron meeting, with critics calling the omission deliberate and inappropriate.

Nawrocki snub triggers sharp political backlash The Presidential Chancellery of Karol Nawrocki stated that Prime Minister Donald Tusk had invited Macron and "planned the visit in such a way that a meeting of the presidents would not take place," adding that Tusk had pressed for the summit to be held in Gdańsk rather than Warsaw to ensure that outcome. The Presidential Chancellery noted that Nawrocki and Macron had met previously in Paris, where they discussed security and EU policy. Marcin Bosacki, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pushed back, saying the decision not to include Nawrocki was made by the French presidential palace, not Warsaw. „This was a decision of the French presidential palace. President Macron knows who in Poland is responsible for foreign policy, European policy, and defense policy.” — Marcin Bosacki via polsatnews.pl Former Prime Minister Leszek Miller, speaking on Radio Zet, said he received the news of the omission "with embarrassment" and described the situation as "quite crude." Miller drew a parallel to a visit by François Hollande, then a presidential candidate, who was received by President Bronisław Komorowski when Tusk declined to meet him, arguing that the current situation inverted that precedent in a politically charged way. The Presidential Chancellery also noted that Nawrocki's head of the International Policy Bureau, Marcin Przydacz, was visiting France on the same day, which it presented as evidence of functioning bilateral presidential ties.

Treaty of Nancy anchors security pledges between Warsaw and Paris On defense, both leaders reaffirmed their obligations under the Treaty of Nancy, with Tusk stating that Poland and France "take our obligations resulting from both NATO and the Treaty of Nancy very seriously." Macron confirmed that Poland could count on France if its territory were threatened. Tusk announced that France currently has 250 soldiers stationed in Poland and said their number could be increased if the security situation demands it, adding that it was "not excluded" that France could take over some duties protecting the Rzeszów-Jasionka hub used for supply transports to Ukraine. 250 (soldiers) — French troops currently stationed in Poland Macron announced that work on concrete measures in the field of nuclear deterrence would proceed in the coming months. Tusk thanked Macron for France's swift reaction after Russian drones entered Polish airspace on the night of September 9 to 10 of the previous year, calling France's response "unequivocal" and proof that "NATO is something very concrete." Both leaders also participated in a gala at which actor Andrzej Seweryn received the Bronisław Geremek Award, and Tusk posted a photograph on social media showing himself, Macron, and former President Lech Wałęsa holding hands, captioned "Long live Solidarity!"

Tusk turns summit into rebuke of Trump's Middle East campaign Donald Tusk used the Gdańsk press conference to deliver pointed criticism of United States President Donald Trump's military campaign in the Middle East, describing it as a "growing, chaotic conflict" producing "unnecessary victims." Tusk said the war had failed to weaken the Iranian regime and that what "could have been the justification turned out to be an illusion," adding that Poland had counted on the mobilization of support for Iranians who "fought for human rights, for democracy." „Putin and Russia have become the evident beneficiaries of the war.” — Donald Tusk via Rzeczpospolita Tusk said he did not "fully understand the decision of our American friends to extend the waiver of sanctions on Russian oil" and argued that the campaign had created "completely unnecessary conflicts within NATO and the Western community." He also cited high fuel prices as a concrete burden on states and consumers, and stated that Poland's "absolute priority" was to extinguish the conflict, emphasizing that unlike in the 2003 Iraq war, Poland was from the outset excluding participation in any offensive against Iran. On energy, Tusk confirmed that France's EDF is among the bidders for Poland's second nuclear power plant, while stressing that the final choice would go to "whoever presents the most attractive offer," with trust and long-term reliability weighing heavily in the decision. Macron acknowledged that even if Poland chose a different technology provider, France could still participate in the construction given EDF's broad range of nuclear services.

Poland and France have deepened their bilateral relationship through a series of formal agreements in recent years, with the Treaty of Nancy establishing a mutual defense support clause that both governments have repeatedly cited as a cornerstone of their security cooperation. Poland has been one of the most active supporters of Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, and has served as a critical logistics hub for Western military aid flowing to Kyiv. Poland is also pursuing construction of its first and second nuclear power plants as part of a long-term energy independence strategy, with multiple international partners competing for contracts. The Bronisław Geremek Award is named after the Polish historian and politician who served as foreign minister and was a prominent figure in the Solidarity movement and Poland's post-1989 democratic transition.