President of Poland Karol Nawrocki and First Lady Marta Nawrocka will begin a four-day visit to the USA on September 20 with meetings with the New York Polish-American community. Two days later, the UN General Assembly general debate will kick off, set against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the Middle East crisis, and the dispute over the future of global security.
On Sunday, the presidential couple will visit Greenpoint, followed by a meeting with the Polish community in Middle Village, Queens. Dozens of hours later, the area surrounding the United Nations headquarters will fill with motorcades and delegations, shifting the world’s attention to talks between leaders.
The presidential couple’s visit will combine two very different images of New York: a close-knit meeting with compatriots and diplomacy conducted during the most intense week of the year for the UN.
First Greenpoint and Queens
The Sunday program will begin at 12:00 PM with Holy Mass at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Greenpoint. The celebration coincides with several anniversaries: the 130th anniversary of the parish, the 300th anniversary of the canonization of its patron saint, and the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States. For the Polish diaspora, this is a clear connection between the memory of their roots and the history of the country that became home to successive generations of Poles.
At 4:00 PM, the presidential couple will meet with the Polish community in the auditorium of Christ the King High School at 68-02 Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village, as we previously reported on Poland.us. Doors will open at 1:00 PM, and attendance requires prior registration. The organizers announce a presidential address, the presentation of state decorations to individuals who have made significant contributions to Polish-American communities, and a musical segment. The registration form has been made available by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York.
Why the President is visiting the USA
Meetings with the Polish community open the visit, but its main official purpose is Karol Nawrocki’s participation in the general debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. According to an announcement by the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland, the stay will last from September 20 to 23. A detailed schedule of political talks is to be announced separately.
The general debate will begin on Tuesday, September 22, and run through September 28. This is an annual forum where all 193 member states have a voice, though the weight of the speeches is measured afterward by the reactions of governments, the media, and markets. The security of NATO’s eastern flank, Russia’s war against Ukraine, relations with the United States, and the presence of American troops in Poland are among the topics Karol Nawrocki regularly raises in international speeches. The full scope of this year’s address has not yet been announced.
Between the UN and Polish-American business
On Monday, September 21, the Polish-American Economic Summit will take place, organized by the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland and the Development Strategy Center. Karol Nawrocki is scheduled to deliver the keynote address, and the agenda covers economic cooperation, technology, energy, and the defense industry. The layout of the debates shows that the organizers want to translate the alliance with the USA into investments, industrial projects, and business-to-business contacts.
In the background is the December G20 summit in Miami. Karol Nawrocki received an invitation from Donald Trump to participate in this meeting. This is a prestigious signal, though it is worth being precise: an invitation to the summit does not automatically mean Poland’s formal membership in the G20.
The President said on September 14: “I want the voice of the entire Three Seas Initiative to be heard at the G20 summit in Miami in December.”
This statement shows that Warsaw wants to use access to talks with Washington also to represent the interests of Central and Eastern European countries. Monday’s conference will make it possible to assess how this political intention will be presented to entrepreneurs ahead of the meeting in Miami.
New York at the center of disputes that cannot be bypassed
The UN high-level week will fall at a time when wars and great power rivalry are increasingly undermining the effectiveness of international institutions. UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke on September 16 about an “era of profound uncertainty.” Among the main topics, he pointed to Russia’s war against Ukraine, the situation in Gaza, artificial intelligence, and the climate crisis. The UN program also provides for meetings devoted to energy transition, pandemic preparedness, the right to development, and threats related to rising sea levels.
Tension will also be visible outside the meeting hall. As Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon told the AP, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to fly to New York on September 23 and address the UN the following day. The visit is accompanied by a bitter dispute over the war in Gaza and public statements by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Danon anticipates protests, which is why the end of the week may bring heightened security measures and disruptions around the East Side.
What this visit could mean for the Polish diaspora
For Karol Nawrocki, this will be his second consecutive participation in the UN general debate as President of Poland. A year ago in New York, he spoke about the crumbling international order and the Russian threat. This year’s visit will show whether Poland can combine three goals: striving for security, attracting American capital, and building the political significance of the Polish diaspora.
The meeting in Queens is not merely a ceremonial addition to the UN program. Americans of Polish descent are voters, entrepreneurs, and participants in public life in the USA. Their visibility provides relations between Warsaw and Washington with a social foundation that leadership talks alone cannot replace.
Sunday will belong to the Polish diaspora. Starting Monday, the conversation will shift to the economy, security, and the global balance of power. Therefore, the significance of this visit will be determined not by photographs from the meetings, but by the substance of the UN address, economic ties, and whether the voice of the Polish community finds a place in Warsaw’s future policy toward the USA.
