Poland has deprived Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, the highest state award.
Modern.az reports that BBC News spread information about this.
The reason for this was Kyiv's decision to name one of its military units in honor of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). The activities of the UPA are still a subject of serious historical dispute between the two countries.
Polish President Karol Navroski called the Ukrainian authorities' move "unacceptable," "incomprehensible," and "deeply disappointing."
According to him, for the majority of Poles, the UPA is primarily associated with the massacres of the Polish population in Volhynia during World War II.
The Polish leader emphasized that Kyiv's action undermines the trust that has been built between the two countries over the years. He recalled that after Russia's large-scale invasion in 2022, Poland accepted millions of Ukrainian refugees.
At the same time, the Polish president noted that the diplomatic conflict will not affect the support provided to Ukraine in its fight against Russia. However, he warned that Ukraine's path to EU membership requires an honest approach to the complex pages of its history.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sibiha sharply criticized Warsaw's decision, calling it a "strategic mistake" and an example of disrespect. According to him, only Moscow benefits from the escalation of the dispute.
"No president of another country can dictate our history to us," the minister said.
As a sign of protest, he also announced his intention to return the Polish award he received in 2022.
The Order of the White Eagle was presented to Zelensky in 2023 by then-Polish President Andrzej Duda as a symbol of the special relationship between Warsaw and Kyiv.
The main historical dispute between Poland and Ukraine concerns the Volhynian massacre, which occurred in 1943–1945. During that period, UPA units carried out massacres against the Polish civilian population in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. The victims included women, children, and the elderly.
Poland considers these events as genocide against the Polish people. In 2016, the Polish parliament officially recognized the Volhynian massacre as genocide.
