President of Poland Karol Nawrocki arrived in Manila on October 5 for a three-day official go to to the Philippines. It’s the first go to by a Polish president to the Philippines since diplomatic relations have been established in 1973.
In line with Marcin Przydacz, secretary of state and head of the Worldwide Coverage Bureau of the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, the go to is a part of a broader Polish technique to strengthen the nation’s place among the many nations of the World South. Nawrocki described the go to as a possibility to hunt backing for Poland’s continued presence within the G20 by gaining casual assist from the Philippines, which is chairing ASEAN this yr. Nawrocki additionally described the journey within the context of a broader technique of partaking with the World South – a course that has not too long ago been highlighted in Polish foreign-policy discussions.
There’s additionally a army cooperation angle, elevating the query of attainable broader American protection pursuits throughout the Polish administration and opposition.
In August, PZL Mielec, an aerospace producer based mostly in Poland, accomplished the supply of 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters to the Philippine Air Power. The Philippines had beforehand ordered 16 helicopters from Mielec in 2019.
PZL Mielec presents itself as a Polish firm: the helicopters are manufactured in Poland and the workforce is Polish. However since 2015, PZL Mielec has been owned by Lockheed Martin, one of many world’s largest U.S. protection contractors.
This makes Nawrocki’s go to to the Philippines significantly attention-grabbing.
Former Polish Protection Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, now a number one opposition determine and a strongly pro-American and Eurosceptic politician, has argued that Europe is successfully helpless towards Russia and that Poland ought to depend on the USA reasonably than Europe for its safety. He was additionally extremely important of the EU’s SAFE program, an EU initiative offering as much as 150 billion euro in loans for protection funding. Błaszczak has argued that this system may push the USA out of Europe and questioned its compatibility with Poland’s reliance on U.S. protection expertise.
In July 2026, Błaszczak, along with a gaggle of MPs with the conservative get together Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS), submitted a parliamentary interpellation regarding the lack of recent orders for S-70i Black Hawk helicopters from PZL Mielec. The MPs warned that the tip of the Philippine contract may put the way forward for S-70i manufacturing in Poland in danger.
Supporting PZL Mielec may be offered as supporting Polish jobs and industrial capability, but it surely additionally instantly helps the business pursuits of Lockheed Martin.
Paradoxically, it could be simpler for the Polish president to steer the ASEAN nations to position an order than Poland’s personal Ministry of Protection.
Given the tense relationship between Nawrocki and the Polish authorities led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, in addition to Nawrocki’s alleged shut relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, one attainable goal of the Philippine go to could possibly be to encourage the federal government in Manila to contemplate one other contract, or to advertise PZL Mielec and its capabilities via the Philippines on the ASEAN degree.
Given the possession construction of PZL Mielec, Błaszczak and Nawrocki’s political alignment, and assist for stronger U.S. protection ties, the timing raises questions. Inside the span of some months, a parliamentary interpellation referred to as for brand spanking new orders for PZL Mielec, the manufacturing facility accomplished its Philippine contract, and Poland’s president made his first-ever go to to the Philippines.
Might Nawrocki’s go to additionally serve to advertise additional Black Hawk gross sales throughout ASEAN, probably benefiting U.S. industrial pursuits?