Polish President Karol Nawrocki dismissed suggestions that his decision to revoke President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle was aimed at gaining political support at home.
On Monday, responding to comments made by Zelensky in an interview with Ukrainian television, Nawrocki said the dispute has nothing to do with internal Polish politics and is solely about differing views of historical events.
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Earlier, Zelensky had suggested that Nawrocki was seeking to strengthen his political position against Prime Minister Donald Tusk by appealing to anti-Ukrainian sentiment.
When asked about the remarks, Nawrocki replied that Zelensky was wrong.
“The dispute does not concern Poland’s internal affairs at all,” Nawrocki said during the Poland Future Summit in Warsaw.
“All Poles know and understand how much harm Ukrainian nationalists inflicted on Poland, on Polish women, men and children.”
Honor revocation
The dispute began after Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle from Zelensky over Ukraine’s decision to name a military unit after the “Heroes of the UPA.”
He said that the decision was rooted in historical issues and Poland’s opposition to symbols associated with Stepan Bandera and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
While the UPA is recognized in Ukraine for its role in the independence struggle, Poland holds it responsible for the killings of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during World War II.
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Nawrocki said the naming of the unit went beyond Ukraine’s internal affairs and that Kyiv had not addressed Poland’s concerns on the issue.
Following this, Zelensky returned the award to Warsaw by courier, while stressing that Ukraine remains grateful to Poland for its assistance since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Escalation
Former Presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko also declared their refusal of the Order of the White Eagle.
Kuchma, who received the award in 1997, stated his decision was a direct response to Nawrocki’s actions.
“I have no other choice today but to refuse the high Polish order,” Kuchma stated. “Ukraine did not take up the fight against Russia, which justified its invasion with historical claims, so that today other countries could dictate our history and determine whom we should honor.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that the growing political conflict between Warsaw and Kyiv risks benefiting Russia and damaging both countries’ interests.
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