Polish President Karol Nawrocki said that he will decide “in due course” whether to withdraw the Order of the White Eagle awarded to Zelenski, Photo: Reuters
Abduzhalil Abdurasulov
reports from Poland
Ukraine is in the middle of a diplomatic row with one of its key allies, Poland, after Kiev decided to name a military unit after controversial World War II fighters, reopening a painful chapter from the past.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki is considering stripping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the highest state award – the Order of the White Eagle.
Navrocki has already consulted with the world for awarding the order and states that he will decide “in due course” whether to withdraw the recognition.
The conflict began when Zelensky last month announced a decision to name a special unit of the military called the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which existed in the 1940s and 1950s.
Many in Ukraine see members of the UPA as heroes who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Soviet Red Army, as well as against Nazi Germany and Polish authorities.
The title “Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army” is a great honor for Ukrainians.
Poland, however, accuses the UPA of genocide against ethnic Poles in Volhynia from 1943 to 1945.
Zelenskiy’s decision caused great anger in Poland, and Nawrocki described it as a “glorification of bandits and murderers.”
Many have the impression that Kiev showed ingratitude to Poland, which opened the border to millions of Ukrainians who fled the Russian invasion.
Poland is still a haven for almost a million refugees.
Some MPs of the opposition party Pravo i Pravda (PiS) called for a “drastic reassessment of relations” with Kyiv.
And the leader of the far-right Confederation Party, Krzysztof Bosak, demanded that Warsaw stop funding Starlink satellite services, which the Ukrainian military relies on, as well as block Ukraine’s accession to the European Union until Kiev changes its decision.
Zelenskiy’s decision shows that “Ukraine is not ready to join the European family,” Navrocki said.
Even politicians who are considered pro-Ukrainian strongly condemned Zelensky’s controversial decision.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk called on Kyiv to find a solution.
“If they don’t find him, it will mean that our relations will not be determined by empathy, but by pure work.”
For Ukraine, the UPA is a symbol of resistance and the struggle for independence, although Warsaw claims that 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed in the massacre in Volhynia.
Today, Ukrainian troops often use the red and black flag of the UPA.
Therefore, Zelensky states in the decision to use the name UPA in order to “restore the historical tradition of the national army”.
Kiev did not officially respond to the criticism from Poland, although the foreign minister emphasized that there was no intention to cause offense.
Kyrylo Budanov, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, traveled to Warsaw last weekend after Navrocki threatened to strip the Ukrainian president of the order.
The aim was to calm tensions and end the crisis, but his trip seems to have borne no fruit.
After his visit, Nawrocki convened an awarding council to further consider the matter.
Even Tusk admitted that “diplomacy did not produce results”.
The Ukrainian leader, who usually travels abroad from a Polish airport, decided this week to fly to the United Kingdom via Moldova.
Tusk made it clear that the airport is not closed to Zelensky.
“I will not tell him where and how to fly,” he said.
However, analysts fear that depriving Zelensky of the order could lead to a serious diplomatic rift that would have serious consequences for both countries.
Discontent among Poles is already threatening to overshadow an upcoming conference on Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, scheduled for later this month in the northern Polish city of Gdansk.
Poland’s foreign minister hinted that Zelensky might not attend.
Observers believe that these tensions could further strengthen right-wing parties critical of support for Ukraine.
The Polish Order of the White Eagle, which was awarded to Zelensky in 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda, can be revoked if he is judged to have “committed an act that makes him unworthy” of the honor.
However, analysts believe that such a move could require the support of Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Tusk is seeking to defuse the dispute, calling on Zelenskiy and Navrocki for a “direct and honest conversation” before things get out of hand.
“Cooperation serves the interests of our countries and peoples, while conflict benefits Moscow,” he said.
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