Polish civil society activists have launched an initiative to award President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people a “Civil Order of the Future,” responding to Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to strip Zelensky of Poland’s highest state honor amid a growing diplomatic rift between Warsaw and Kyiv.
According to the Polish-Ukrainian news outlet Sestry, the initiative was organized by the “Warmth from Poland” group, which drew signatures from dozens of prominent Polish figures, such as politicians, journalists, and filmmakers.
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“We have helped and will continue to help,” the group said. “We do not need a politician’s permission to treat other people with decency.”
“We want to hand over our own order. This is an initiative from below,” the group’s statement read.
The initiative came after Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle from Zelensky, following the Ukrainian president’s decision to name a frontline military unit after fighters of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) – a World War II nationalist partisan force that many Ukrainians regard as part of their independence struggle, but which Poland holds responsible for mass killings of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.
History or political tool?
The organizers accused Poland’s right wing of exploiting the Volhynia tragedy ahead of parliamentary elections, saying that “Politicians are arguing over the year 1943, while people are still dying in Ukraine in 2026.”
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They argued that the original 2023 award symbolized recognition of Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression and the solidarity of millions of ordinary Polish citizens who helped Ukrainian refugees, raising millions of zlotys for humanitarian aid.
“We remember the tragic chapters in the history of our nations. However, we live in the here and now, which is why we choose cooperation and friendship,” the group concluded, adding that politicians must not be allowed to use the past in ways that endanger shared security.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described Nawrocki’s decision as a “strategic mistake” that would benefit only Moscow, explaining that Ukraine would mirror Poland’s further steps.
“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.
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