Polish President Karol Nawrocki said Friday he had revoked President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state distinction, citing Ukraine’s decision to grant a military unit the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA.”
In a statement posted on X, Nawrocki said the Order of the White Eagle symbolizes Poland’s highest trust and gratitude and therefore requires recipients to respect values fundamental to the Polish state and society.
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“Such a symbol requires not only merit, but also respect for the values that form the foundation of our community,” Nawrocki said.
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) was a nationalist partisan force that fought during and after World War II for an independent Ukrainian state. While many Ukrainians view the group as part of the country’s struggle for independence, Poland considers the UPA responsible for mass killings of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during the war.
He said that after consulting the chapter of the order, he decided to strip Zelensky of the award because of his approval of the designation.
Nawrocki added that the decision was not directed against the Ukrainian people and did not signal a change in Poland’s security policy toward Ukraine.
“We supported and continue to support Ukraine because we know that Russian aggression poses a threat to the security of Poland and all of Europe,” he said.
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The Polish president described Russia as the aggressor and Russian President Vladimir Putin as a criminal responsible for launching Europe’s largest armed conflict since World War II.
At the same time, Nawrocki said Poland would continue defending the memory of its citizens and would not accept what he called the glorification of individuals responsible for the killing of Polish civilians.
He argued that Ukraine’s path toward European integration requires a willingness to confront difficult chapters of its history.
“For those who do not understand this, there can be no place in the European Union, and Poland certainly will not allow it,” he said.
Nawrocki added that for most Poles, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army remains primarily associated with crimes committed against Polish civilians during World War II.
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The dispute escalated further later on Friday when Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced he would return the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, which he received in October 2022.
Sybiha described Nawrocki’s decision as a “strategic mistake” that would benefit only Moscow.
“We regret that emotions prevailed in Warsaw and pushed Polish politicians toward unjustified, impulsive and disrespectful steps directed not only against President Zelensky, but above all against the Ukrainian state,” Sybiha wrote on Facebook.
He said Ukraine had spent the past year and a half working to depoliticize historical disputes and advance cooperation on issues such as exhumations, historical research and memorialization.
“This is not about medals, but about respect,” Sybiha said, adding that Ukraine had consistently sought a relationship based on mutual respect despite disagreements over historical issues.
The foreign minister also noted that joint search and exhumation work was currently underway in Huta Pieniacka at Poland’s request.
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