Zelenskyy skips postwar reconstruction conference amid dispute with Poland
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk after a controversy over naming a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, prompting diplomatic tension with Poland.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will miss the Ukraine Recovery Conference that opens Thursday in Gdańsk, Poland, after weeks of diplomatic friction with Warsaw over his decision to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The annual summit, which rotates among European capitals, aims to gather international partners and investors to support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction. Zelenskyy’s absence follows Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s announcement that he will revoke the Order of the White Eagle awarded to the Ukrainian leader in 2023, describing the naming as “outrageous.”
“Ultimately, the position of the Ukrainian side did not change. History should not be an obstacle to the future, but a good future can only be built on truth,” Nawrocki said.
“If anyone wants to be proud of the murderers of women and children, they cannot be surprised by the reaction,” his foreign-policy adviser Marcin Przydacz added.
Zelenskyy responded by returning the award and accusing Polish officials of exploiting anti-Ukrainian sentiment ahead of Poland’s 2024 parliamentary elections. He defended the unit’s name as a decision made by service members and warned that the dispute could weaken Polish-Ukrainian cooperation at a time of heightened Russian aggression.
“Our service members choose a heroic name for their unit themselves, and as president and supreme commander-in-chief, I must support them,” Zelenskyy said.
“Without Ukraine, no one will be able to defend Poland. It is simply impossible,” he added.
Poland’s pro-European Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is co-hosting the conference, urged both sides to de-escalate, calling any escalation a “strategic mistake.” The European Union also warned that deteriorating relations would benefit Russia, expressing hope that the summit would still achieve its objectives.