Zelenskyy May Not Attend the Reconstruction Conference in Gdańsk: What People in Poland Are Saying
23 June 14:09
Zbigniew Bogucki, head of the Polish President’s Office, has information that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Gdańsk. He made this statement on RMF FM, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“Today we have information—most likely, though I don’t know if it will be confirmed—that the President of Ukraine will not be present at the conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in Gdańsk,” the official said.
Former Polish Ambassador to Ukraine Bartosz Cichocki also confirmed that he had this information.
“According to my information, the decision not to come to Gdańsk was made even before President Navrotsky decided to revoke the Order of the White Eagle,” he said.
Polsat News, citing sources close to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also reported that Zelenskyy would not be attending the conference.
“Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Gdańsk. Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko will represent the country at the event, scheduled for June 25–26,” the news portal reported.
Meanwhile, Polish government spokesperson Adam Szlapka denied a statement by former Ambassador to Ukraine Bartosz Cichocki that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had allegedly declined to visit Gdańsk, where the International Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine (URC 2026) is scheduled for June 25–26, according to the website of the Polish television channel PolSat.
“We have no indication that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not be present,” Schlapka said.
At the same time, he emphasized that the government has not yet received information regarding Zelenskyy’s participation in the conference and that, regardless, it “will definitely take place, and there will be a Ukrainian delegation, since it concerns the reconstruction of Ukraine,” adding that it is important for the Polish side to participate.
“Perhaps there will be government representatives (from Ukraine—IF-U)… The real, practical dimension is far more important than the political one… It was supposed to focus on economic issues, on concrete work… Our task at the moment, as we are experiencing significant tension, is rather to de-escalate the situation and ensure that Polish interests regarding security and the economy are met,” said the Polish government representative.
When asked whether the Ukrainian-Polish diplomatic crisis would affect the atmosphere of the negotiations, he assessed that “it will certainly have an impact.”
“There’s no denying that we’re in an unprecedented situation, the greatest tension in many years… This makes it all the more important that we be able to talk about the future,” said Szlapka.
He also stated that he was “surprised by the discussion” regarding the lack of an invitation to Polish President Karol Nawrocki to the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine, noting that this is a government event and that the Polish head of state had also not invited government representatives to presidential events.
