Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced a decision to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the country’s highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle. The move followed Ukraine’s decision to give one of the Armed Forces’ Special Operations units the honorary name “Heroes of the UPA.”
In a statement issued on June 19, Nawrocki said that for Polish society, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army remains responsible for brutal crimes committed against Polish civilians during World War II.
“The decision of the Ukrainian authorities to glorify the UPA is not only outrageous, but incomprehensible, and it causes deep disappointment. It is a blow not only to historical memory. It is also a blow to the trust that has been built over the years,” the Polish president said.
At the same time, he stressed that the move was not directed against the Ukrainian people and did not mean a change in Poland’s security policy.
Kyiv’s response
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called Nawrocki’s decision a strategic mistake that would benefit only Moscow. He also said he was giving up the “For Merit to Poland” decoration that he received from the Polish president in 2022.
According to Zelensky’s office chief Kyrylo Budanov, such a step would be a gift to the “Moscow aggressor,” which would try to use the situation against both countries. He also said he would refuse the “For Merit to Poland” award.
What comes next
For Nawrocki’s decision to take effect, it must be approved by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is regarded as his political opponent. On social media, Tusk urged Zelensky and Nawrocki to lower the emotional temperature rather than deepen tensions, but did not say what decision he would ultimately make.
On May 26, Zelensky awarded one of Ukraine’s special forces units the name “named after the Heroes of the UPA,” saying this restored the national army’s historical traditions. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said the move was not aimed against Poland. In Warsaw, the UPA is blamed for mass killings of Poles, while for many Ukrainians it remains a symbol of the struggle for independence, as DW notes.