Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that the growing political clash between Warsaw and Kyiv is a “strategic mistake” that risks damaging both countries, as tensions deepen over historical grievances and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s loss of Poland’s highest state honor.
“The political conflict between Poland and Ukraine is a strategic mistake that will cost both sides – economically, geopolitically and in terms of reputation,” Tusk wrote on social media on Sunday.
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“And in politics, as we know, a mistake is worse than a crime,” he added.
Tusk said he has been telling European leaders that he is working to “minimize losses and reduce tensions,” admitting that “this is not an easy task.”
Honor revoked
The dispute erupted after Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced on Friday that he was stripping Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest distinction.
The move came after Zelensky approved naming a Ukrainian military unit after the “Heroes of UPA” – a reference viewed in Ukraine as honoring anti-Soviet resistance, but one that many Poles associate with the massacres of tens of thousands of ethnic Poles during World War II.
Zelensky received the award in 2023 from then-president Andrzej Duda. A day after Nawrocki’s announcement, the Ukrainian leader published photos showing that the insignia had been returned.
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“We believed that the Order of the White Eagle, awarded in 2023, was meant for the Ukrainian people and our army. That is what was said at the time,” Zelensky wrote.
He later announced that he had mailed the Order of the White Eagle back to Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
Ukrainian leaders return polish decorations
The row has triggered a wave of protest in Ukraine.
Former presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko and Petro Poroshenko, along with several senior officials, including Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak’s deputy Ihor Zhovkva, military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar and former prime minister Volodymyr Groysman, said they would return or renounce Polish state awards.
Critics warn Moscow benefits
Founded in 1705, the Order of the White Eagle is Poland’s oldest and most prestigious honor, traditionally awarded to monarchs, presidents and leading public figures.
Polish media note that revoking the award is exceptionally rare, with only one previous case usually cited – former Prime Minister Wincenty Witos, who lost the decoration in 1932 following what was widely viewed as a politically motivated conviction. It was restored by Poland’s government-in-exile in 1939.
Critics of Nawrocki’s decision, including Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, argue that several controversial recipients were never stripped of the honor and warn that the dispute plays into Moscow’s hands while worrying Poland’s allies.
Despite the standoff, Zelensky stressed that Ukraine remains grateful for Poland’s support and said Kyiv is ready for dialogue with Warsaw over the painful chapters of their shared history.
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