Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has criticised former president Andrzej Duda over a reported meeting at the Armament Agency, arguing that former heads of state should not become involved in lobbying efforts connected with companies seeking public defence contracts.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Tusk referred to what he described as Duda’s “unfortunate lobbying visit” to the agency. The meeting reportedly concerned a company linked to plans for a facility that could manufacture missiles under a Ukrainian licence.
According to Tusk, the issue is particularly sensitive because Poland is allocating record sums to defence while facing a difficult fiscal environment.
“We have a relatively high deficit and a tense financial situation,” the prime minister said. “We are spending unprecedented amounts on defence, and everything connected with this spending must be completely transparent.”
Tusk said he had recommended that Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz take clear action to reduce any risks associated with lobbying around defence procurement. He argued that even a potentially viable business proposal could lose credibility if promoted through methods that fall outside accepted public standards.
The prime minister added that companies should avoid using former senior public officials as intermediaries in attempts to influence state purchasing decisions. In his view, such actions could ultimately harm rather than strengthen a company’s prospects.
The controversy follows reports published earlier this week by daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita. The newspaper, citing unnamed sources, said that Duda met with Major General Artur Kuptel, head of Poland’s Armament Agency. It also reported that Dawid Rożek, founder of fintech company ZEN.com, was expected to be present during the visit.
According to the report, the discussion included unmanned aerial systems that could potentially be offered to the Polish Armed Forces. ZEN.com has previously attracted the attention of prosecutors, according to media reports.
Deputy Defence Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka confirmed on Thursday that General Kuptel had met with the former president. She said the relevant procedures had been followed and that the general had reported the matter to the services.
She also stated that Kuptel had asked whether he could meet Duda and may not have known in advance that the former president would arrive accompanied by other people. According to her account, the general asked those accompanying Duda to leave at the beginning of the meeting and spoke only with the former president.
Duda rejected Tusk’s criticism in a post on X. He said the visit had been officially announced and carried out in line with the applicable procedures. In his view, meeting a general responsible for Poland’s security architecture to discuss national security was neither improper nor unlawful.
The former president also accused Tusk’s government of harming Poland’s strategic interests through its approach to major infrastructure projects, including the Central Communication Port and the planned container terminal in Świnoujście.
The dispute has added another political dimension to the broader debate over transparency in defence procurement. Poland has significantly increased military spending in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine and growing security concerns across the region. The government has repeatedly stressed that major defence contracts must be handled with strict oversight and public confidence in mind.
