Nawrocki, Magyar, and Babiš. The willingness to help Ukraine and Ukrainians is waning

Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Populist politicians in Central Europe are increasingly limiting support for Ukrainians, prioritizing domestic interests over aid.

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[This is an automatically generated summary, for reference only]

Populist politicians in Central Europe are increasingly showing reduced willingness to support Ukrainians beyond their immediate national interests, driven by growing anti-Ukrainian sentiment. In Poland, new President Karol Nawrocki vetoed aid for Ukrainian refugees and Starlink terminals, while Andrej Babiš has voiced sentiments prioritizing domestic citizens over helping Ukrainians. Similarly, Hungarian opposition figures like Peter Magyar express reservations about Ukraine. While Hungary’s ruling party maintains a long-term stance on Ukraine, the main opposition is cautious to avoid past electoral losses by focusing on domestic issues. In Poland, despite expected continued support for Ukrainian defense due to security concerns, Babiš’s ANO promises a more “pragmatic” foreign policy, including potential deportation of non-working Ukrainians, while its coalition partners propose deportations even for working Ukrainians whose jobs could be filled by local citizens.


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