Polish President Bows to Nationalist Pressure, Revokes Zelenskyy's Honor Over UPA Unit Name
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Poland's right-wing President Karol Nawrocki rescinded Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle, citing the naming of a Ukrainian unit after the WWII-era UPA, while still pledging military aid to Kyiv.
Poland's nationalist president Karol Nawrocki, under pressure from conservative factions, announced on Friday the revocation of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state honor, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This move comes after Zelenskyy's approval of a Ukrainian armed forces unit named 'Heroes of the UPA,' referencing the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)—a group that, while fighting for Ukrainian self-determination against both Nazi and Soviet oppression, is accused by Poland of wartime massacres of Poles.
Nawrocki posted on X that Poland had repeatedly demanded Ukraine change the unit's name, but Ukrainian authorities refused to comply. He declared, 'Historical truth is not, and can never be, a bargaining chip. Remembering the victims is a moral obligation of the Polish state,' yet paradoxically insisted that this symbolic gesture would not affect Poland's ongoing material support for Ukraine's struggle against Russian aggression.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha condemned the move as a 'strategic error' that only serves Moscow's interests, emphasizing that no foreign leader should dictate Ukraine's historical narrative. Poland's centrist prime minister Donald Tusk warned that the dispute could be weaponized by Russian President Vladimir Putin and called for both presidents to de-escalate tensions.
The revocation, coming just days before Poland is set to host the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, casts doubt on Zelenskyy's attendance and threatens to overshadow crucial discussions. The UPA, which fought both Nazi and Soviet forces during WWII, is accused by Poland of killing tens of thousands of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, though Ukrainian perspectives highlight the reciprocal violence and complex historical context involving Polish underground groups.