Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to grant one Ukrainian army unit the honorary title “Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army” sharply worsened relations between Ukraine and Poland. In Poland, the UPA is associated with the killing of tens of thousands of Poles during World War II, while in Ukraine its fighters are often regarded as independence fighters.
According to the report, the decree was signed in late May. After that, Polish President Karol Nawrocki decided to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state award, which had been presented to him in 2023. Zelenskyy responded by saying he had already sent the award back to the Polish leader, while several Ukrainian politicians, including former presidents Petro Poroshenko, Viktor Yushchenko, and Leonid Kuchma, began refusing other Polish state decorations. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry threatened reciprocal measures.
Financial Times reported that Kyiv tried to defuse the dispute, but a visit to Warsaw by presidential office chief Kyrylo Budanov brought no breakthrough: Polish officials demanded that the UPA reference be removed from the unit’s name.
Efforts to lower tensions
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, described as a long-time supporter of Ukraine, has been trying to prevent further escalation. He, like Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, said the dispute benefits Moscow and undermines Western unity.
“The task of Presidents Zelenskyy and Nawrocki is to calm emotions, not inflame tensions. The front line is elsewhere,” Tusk said.
He also called the conflict a strategic mistake that could damage both countries in business, geopolitical, and reputational terms.
The New York Times wrote that historical grievances within Eastern and Central Europe persist even amid the shared threat from Russia, and that the current dispute could become destructive. Warsaw University political scientist Aleksandra Iwaniuk said that “Russia is opening champagne now.” Bloomberg columnist Marc Champion argued that Ukraine should move quickly to defuse the conflict, given Poland’s crucial role as a transit route for aid and its veto power over Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
At the same time, The Washington Post assessed that the frictions do not yet threaten the military alliance between the two countries. Nawrocki said the award decision does not mean a change in Poland’s strategic security policy, while Zelenskyy said Ukraine and Poland must remain partners and friends.