Polish President Karol Nawrocki has revoked the Order of the White Eagle awarded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The decision came after Zelenskyy named an active Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which operated during World War II.
The UPA is remembered in Poland for its role in massacres, particularly in the Volyn region, which claimed the lives of thousands of Polish civilians. These events are considered one of the most painful chapters in the history of both nations.
Nawrocki's Justification
In a video message, Karol Nawrocki said, "We must not betray the sacrifices of our ancestors with silence. These are graves that must not be forgotten." Nawrocki stated that Poland had repeatedly conveyed the importance of this issue to the Ukrainian side and that the decision was made with the expectation of reassessing its consequences for bilateral relations.
Nawrocki added, "Ultimately, the position of the Ukrainian side has not changed."
Sharp Reaction from Kyiv
The decision was met with a swift and sharp reaction from Kyiv. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the move as "a strategic mistake... Only Moscow benefits from this."
Sybiha said, "We regret to see that emotions have prevailed in Warsaw and pushed Polish politicians to take unjust, impulsive, and disrespectful steps not only against President Zelenskyy but, first and foremost, against the Ukrainian state."
Sybiha announced that following this decision, he was also rejecting the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit awarded to him in 2022 by former Polish President Andrzej Duda.
Criticism from the Parliamentary Speaker
Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk took an even harsher stance, calling the move "a catastrophic mistake with long-term negative consequences for the Ukrainian-Polish partnership."
Stefanchuk also criticized the timing of Nawrocki's statement. The announcement came just a week before the start of the Ukraine Recovery Conference scheduled to be held in Gdańsk, Poland. Stefanchuk assessed this as "deliberate, planned, and harmful."
EU Membership Warning from Poland
Nawrocki warned Kyiv about the importance of maintaining positive relations on its path to European Union membership. Nawrocki said, "Ukraine's path to European structures also requires a willingness to honestly confront the difficult chapters of its own history. A united Europe was built on the rejection of totalitarianism and the cult of violence. These principles must apply to everyone."
Nawrocki stated, "There is no place in the European Union for those who do not understand this, and Poland will certainly not allow it."
Continued Support Commitment
Despite all this tension, Nawrocki said Warsaw's support for Kyiv in the face of Russia's full-scale invasion would continue. Nawrocki said, "We have supported Ukraine and will continue to support it because we know that Russian aggression poses a threat to the security of Poland and all of Europe."
Poland has been a close ally of Kyiv since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, providing billions in aid, serving as a key logistics route for military assistance, and hosting nearly 1 million Ukrainian refugees.
