Kaczyński demands clarity over Washington meeting

On 7 October 2026, Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jarosław Kaczyński addressed reporters and published statements on social media concerning a March meeting between Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and US President Donald Trump. Kaczyński publicly called on Kosiniak-Kamysz to clarify whether American officials pressured him regarding the makeup of the governing coalition in Warsaw. The intervention followed reporting by TV Republika and journalist Dominika Wielowieyska indicating that discussions in Washington touched upon an alternative governing coalition between the Polish People's Party (PSL) and right-wing parties. Kaczyński defended PiS Member of the European Parliament Adam Bielan, who helped arrange the encounter, rejecting accusations from government figures that Bielan committed treason. Kaczyński argued that critics representing a Russian lobby were attempting to derail negotiations for a permanent US military presence known as Fort Trump.

“I appeal to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence W. Kosiniak-Kamysz to answer the question: was he really blackmailed by President D. Trump regarding a change of government in Poland?”

Government reaction and diplomatic disputes

Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed on 5 October on TVN24 that Kosiniak-Kamysz informed him about the conversation back in March. Tusk stated that the talks had a discretionary character and focused on Poland's internal political situation rather than military base construction. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski publicly criticized Bielan on social media, asserting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs never authorized the opposition MEP to conduct international talks on Polish cabinet composition. The disagreement prompted a sharp exchange between Bielan and Civic Coalition MEP Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz after Bielan made remarks directed at Sikorski's chief of cabinet. In addition, Polish People's Party politician and Deputy Marshal of the Sejm Piotr Zgorzelski dismissed Bielan's claims on television, describing accusations of government sabotage as scandalous.

“The conversation had a discretionary character and therefore I feel obliged to maintain discretion. It concerned rather the internal situation in Poland, to put it most delicately.”

Base negotiations and transatlantic relations

Bielan revealed on RMF FM on 2 October that he participated in organizing the March meeting, emphasizing that the conversation lasted several dozen minutes rather than being an accidental encounter. The controversy resurfaced in October following the last-minute cancellation of a scheduled meeting in Washington between Kosiniak-Kamysz and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, officially caused by a visit from the Chinese leadership. Deputy Head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery Jakub Stefaniak stated that Polish authorities received reports of right-wing emissaries lobbying US Republicans to stall decisions on permanent US bases to prevent the ruling coalition from claiming a diplomatic success. Former Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński from the Rozwój Plus group questioned the government's response, arguing that ministers should welcome high-level dialogue with the American head of state rather than requesting formal notes from external organizers.