Ukrainian officials to return Polish awards amid wartime history dispute
The move follows Poland’s decision to revoke Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top honour over a Ukrainian unit name tied to World War II killings.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
Senior Ukrainian officials said they will give back Polish state awards after Poland’s president moved to revoke Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle. The dispute has opened a rift between close allies as Ukraine continues to rely on Polish backing against Russia, AP and Reuters reported.
Kyrylo Budanov, described as Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Ukrainian Ambassador to Warsaw Vasyl Bodnar and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Saturday they would relinquish honours they had received from Poland.
The row centres on Zelenskyy’s May 26 decree naming a Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA. The wartime group fought Nazi German and Soviet forces, but in Poland it is widely associated with the killing of Polish civilians during World War II.
Polish president says award will be withdrawn
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said Friday he would strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honour. Former President Andrzej Duda awarded it to Zelenskyy in 2023 for services to security, resilience and the defence of human rights.
Nawrocki said on social media that for many Poles, the UPA remains chiefly known as a force responsible for brutal crimes against citizens of the Polish Republic during the war. He also said the decision would not end Poland’s support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia.
Ukrainian officials condemned the move and said it would benefit Moscow. Budanov wrote on Telegram that the decision was an unfriendly act toward Ukrainians and a gift to “the Moscow aggressor,” which he said would use the dispute against both countries.
In a separate social media post, Budanov said the two nations share a long history with heroic and tragic chapters. He said that history should prompt reflection rather than what he called crude political speculation.
Sybiha called Nawrocki’s decision a strategic mistake. Bodnar said the move was especially painful at a time when Ukraine is defending itself from Russian attacks, AP and Reuters reported.
Tusk urges both sides to lower tensions
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a political rival of Nawrocki, called for restraint. In a post on X, Tusk said conflict between Poland and Ukraine “delights Putin and shocks our allies.”
The history behind the dispute remains contested between the two countries. Ukrainians say the UPA and Polish underground forces carried out large-scale attacks and reprisals against each other, causing deaths among both Ukrainian and Polish civilians.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s key supporters since Russia’s full-scale invasion, while historical grievances over wartime violence have continued to strain political relations. Nawrocki’s move has put those tensions back at the centre of the bilateral relationship.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.