A senior Polish presidential official defended Warsaw’s decision to strip President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, saying even controversial recipients such as Benito Mussolini, Catherine II, and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder had never openly insulted the Polish nation.
Agnieszka Jancążek, a minister in the Chancellery of Polish President Karol Nawrocki, made the remarks on Sunday in response to criticism over revoking Poland’s highest state honor.
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Jancążek said comparisons between Zelensky and previous recipients were misleading.
She noted that Poland does not revoke decorations posthumously, referring to Mussolini and Catherine II, and argued that Schröder, despite his ties to Russia, “never insulted the Polish nation as openly as the president of Ukraine.”
She also criticized Zelensky for returning the award by courier, calling it disrespectful toward a country that has strongly supported Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“The essence of the matter is the deliberate insult by the Ukrainian leader of a nation that proved to be Ukraine’s best friend over the past four years,” Jancążek said.
Dispute deepens
The remarks come as tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv continue to rise following Nawrocki’s decision to revoke the award, which had been awarded to Zelensky in 2023.
The decision was linked to Ukraine’s move to grant a military unit the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA.”
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The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) is viewed in Ukraine as part of the independence struggle, while Poland holds it responsible for mass killings of Polish civilians during World War II.
After consulting the order’s chapter, Nawrocki revoked the award, citing Zelensky’s approval of the designation. He said the decision was not directed against the Ukrainian people and did not signal a change in Poland’s support for 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.
Zelensky’s reaction
The move prompted Zelensky to return the honor and triggered a broader backlash in Ukraine, with several current and former officials announcing plans to return or renounce Polish state awards.
“If it is considered that this special symbol can remain with Catherine II, Benito Mussolini, and Gerhard Schroeder, then we in Ukraine will not argue with this,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram, accompanying his message with a photograph of the award being returned by mail.
Following this, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, both announced they would return the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.
“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.
Sybiha described Nawrocki’s decision as a “strategic mistake” that would benefit only Moscow.
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