Why Poland, Ukraine’s ally in war with Russia, stripped Zelenskyy highest state honour

Why Poland object’s to Zelenskyy’s move

The disagreement centres on the legacy of the UPA, a nationalist force active during the World War 2 era in the 1940s and 1950s. While many Ukrainians regard UPA members as heroes who fought for independence against the Soviet Red Army, Nazi Germany, and Polish authorities, Poland accuses the group of carrying out the massacre of ethnic Poles in Volhynia (now Volyn in Ukraine) between 1943 and 1945. In Ukraine, the title “Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army” is considered a significant honour.

“For the overwhelming majority of Polish society, the UPA remains, above all, a formation responsible for the brutal crimes committed against citizens of the Republic of Poland during World War II,” Nawrocki said in a video released on the president’s official website.

“That is why the Ukrainian authorities’ decision to glorify the UPA is not only outrageous, it is also incomprehensible and deeply disappointing,” he added.

Nawrocki said the move had hurt Poland’s historical memory and undermined trust built between the two countries over the years. He also pointed to Poland’s support for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, noting that Poles had welcomed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

‘No place in European Union’: Poland’s warning

The Polish President further argued that Ukraine’s aspirations to join the European Union require an honest reckoning with difficult aspects of its history.

“A united Europe was built on the rejection of totalitarianism and the cult of violence. These principles must apply to everyone. For those who do not understand this, there can be no place in the European Union, and Poland will certainly not allow it,” he said.