Only Trump can stop Putin from threatening Europe, Poland’s president has declared, insisting that the former US leader is the only global figure capable of confronting Russia’s aggressive posture and restoring security across the continent amid ongoing tensions linked to the war in Ukraine.
Polish president Karol Nawrocki made the remarks while highlighting what he described as a persistent and historic pattern of Russian aggression towards Poland, Central Europe and the wider European region.
According to him, Moscow continues to pose a serious danger to Nato’s eastern flank, and Europe must recognise the scale of the challenge and rally behind leadership that can decisively address it.
He argued that Donald Trump’s approach to global power politics makes him uniquely placed to deter Russian president Vladimir Putin and prevent further escalation.
Speaking during an interview with the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, Nawrocki said Russia remains an existential threat to Europe and warned that diplomatic caution alone would not be enough to stop Moscow’s ambitions.
He stressed that the war in Ukraine has exposed vulnerabilities within European security structures and demonstrated that Russia is prepared to test Nato’s resolve whenever it senses weakness.
In his view, Trump’s direct and uncompromising style offers a level of deterrence that other Western leaders have failed to achieve.
The Polish leader pointed to a series of alarming incidents in 2025, when at least 20 drones entered Polish airspace from neighbouring Belarus and Ukraine, triggering a Nato response under Operation Eastern Sentry.
He described the incursions as unprecedented in scale, noting that no Nato member state had previously experienced such repeated violations of its airspace linked to the conflict.
Nawrocki argued that the drone flights were not accidental but a deliberate attempt by Moscow to probe Polish and Nato defences and gauge how far it could push without provoking a full-scale response.
Only Trump can stop Putin from threatening Europe, Nawrocki reiterated, claiming that Russia’s actions are part of a broader strategy of intimidation and so-called hybrid warfare.
This, he said, includes cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, energy pressure and covert military provocations designed to destabilise European societies without triggering outright war.
According to the Polish president, Europe must abandon what he described as distractions and refocus its priorities on hard security and defence.
Nawrocki also recalled Poland’s long and painful history with Russia, stating that generations of Poles have known only an aggressive and expansionist neighbour to the east.
He said that from the partitions of Poland to the Cold War and now the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has consistently acted as a destabilising force.
In his words, the idea of a peaceful, non-threatening Russia has never matched Poland’s lived experience, making vigilance a matter of national survival rather than political preference.
The Polish president urged European leaders to actively support efforts by the Trump camp to bring the war in Ukraine to an end on terms that would prevent Russia from regrouping and launching future offensives.
He argued that any peace agreement must be credible, enforceable and backed by strong security guarantees for Ukraine and Nato’s eastern members.
Without such measures, he warned, Europe risks repeating past mistakes by underestimating Moscow’s willingness to use force.
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Nawrocki’s comments are also politically significant given his close alignment with Trump. A Eurosceptic nationalist, he was openly backed by Trump during his successful election campaign last year and has since maintained a visibly warm relationship with the former US president.
He visited the White House in September 2025 and has repeatedly praised Trump’s stance on defence spending, Nato burden-sharing and relations with Russia.
While in Britain this week, Nawrocki held talks with UK prime minister Keir Starmer, focusing on defence cooperation and regional security.
He expressed strong appreciation for the deployment of RAF Typhoon jets to Poland as part of Nato’s efforts to strengthen air defences along its eastern borders.
According to Nawrocki, the presence of British forces sends a powerful signal of alliance solidarity and helps deter further Russian provocations.
Only Trump can stop Putin from threatening Europe, Nawrocki said again, as he criticised what he described as Europe’s preoccupation with ideological debates at the expense of security.
He singled out issues such as climate policy, migration and the EU’s Green Deal, arguing that while these topics matter, they should not overshadow the immediate and pressing threat posed by Russia’s military posture.
In his assessment, Europe has spent too long debating internal policies while failing to adequately prepare for external dangers.
The Polish leader also addressed questions surrounding Trump’s controversial rhetoric on Greenland, choosing to deflect and describe it as a matter for discussion between the United States and Denmark.
He insisted that the more urgent issue for Europe is Russia’s behaviour and the need for a united, credible deterrent strategy. From his perspective, internal disagreements within the West only serve to embolden Moscow.
Downing Street later confirmed that Nawrocki and Starmer discussed deepening bilateral ties across defence, trade, commerce and education.
A UK government statement said both leaders reflected on the strength of the relationship between their countries and agreed on the importance of securing a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Starmer reportedly emphasised that closer cooperation on defence projects would not only strengthen UK-Poland relations but also enhance European security more broadly.
As the war in Ukraine grinds on and tensions remain high along Nato’s eastern frontier, Nawrocki’s comments underscore growing unease among frontline states.
For Poland and its neighbours, the conflict is not a distant geopolitical struggle but an immediate threat with direct consequences for national security.
The repeated drone incursions, coupled with Russia’s continued military operations, have reinforced fears that the Kremlin is willing to push boundaries to test Western resolve.
Only Trump can stop Putin from threatening Europe, Nawrocki concluded, framing the choice facing Europe as one between decisive leadership and continued vulnerability.
Whether other European leaders share his confidence in Trump remains uncertain, but his remarks reflect a wider debate about how best to confront Russia and prevent further destabilisation of the continent.
As global politics enters another volatile phase, Poland’s message is clear: deterrence, unity and strong leadership are, in its view, essential to safeguarding Europe’s future.
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