Ukraine and Poland continue to conflict over Vladimir Zelensky’s decision to assign the honorary name “Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)” to one of the units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Poland is angry – Ukrainian nationalists are held responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Poles during World War II. In Ukraine, UPA fighters are independence fighters. Western media write that this conflict could become devastating.
Vladimir Zelensky was awarded the honorary title of a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the end of May. For this reason, Polish President Karol Nawrocki decided to strip him of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state award, which the Ukrainian president received in 2023.
In response, Zelensky said he had already sent the award to the Polish leader, and Ukrainian politicians, including former presidents Petro Poroshenko, Viktor Yushchenko and Leonid Kuchma, began to reject other Polish state awards. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry threatened Warsaw with mirror measures in response to the “disdain for the Ukrainian soldier.”
The resulting disagreements caused a serious diplomatic crisis between Ukraine and Poland. At first, Kiev tried to resolve the conflict, but the visit of the Chief of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kirill Budanov to Warsaw did not help – Polish officials demanded that the UPA be removed from the name of the military unit, Notes Financial Times.
Donald Tusk is trying to reconcile the two sides of the conflict. He believes that the conflict is in Moscow’s interest
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is trying to resolve the conflict between Poland and Ukraine, and he is a long-time supporter of Ukraine and has disagreements with the Polish nationalist camp. Tusk, like Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sepiga, said the conflict was in Moscow’s interests and undermined the West’s unity.
So far, Tusk has not indicated whether he will sign a decree depriving Zelensky of his award. He seeks to reassure allies: “The mission of Presidents Zelensky and Nawrocki is to calm feelings, not escalate tensions. The front line is elsewhere.”
Tusk said the conflict between Polish and Ukrainian politicians was “a strategic mistake that will harm both sides in terms of business, geopolitics and reputation.” He added: “In negotiations with my European partners, I strive to minimize losses and reduce tensions. This is not an easy task.”
Observers believe that the conflict between the two countries could become devastating
Many countries in Eastern and Central Europe are united in their fear of Moscow in the fifth year of the great war between Russia and Ukraine, but historical grievances remain between them, and the struggle over the United Progressive Alliance could become devastating. He writes New York Times.
Ukraine and Poland, after launching a full-scale invasion by Russian forces in 2022, have made major efforts to smooth over disputes over the events of World War II. However, Zelensky’s decree reignited hostility. “Russia is now opening the champagne,” says Alexandra Ivaniuk, associate professor of political science at the University of Warsaw.
Polish political commentator and author Simoviet Szczerek said Donald Tusk “is probably the only adult in this room.” According to him, high hopes are pinned on the Polish Prime Minister on how to resolve the conflict. The fact that Tusk was the only one “acting like an adult” in this dispute is also a fact He writes Bloomberg columnist Mark Champion.
Polish analysts believe that the conflict is in the interest of the right-wing opposition to Tusk’s party. Far-right Polish nationalist Slawomir Minzen, who won 14% of the vote in the last presidential election, said he believed it was right for Ukrainians to return Polish trophies, but added: “It is unfortunate that we gave them away like candy.” “Once all the rewards are returned, they can also return the money, weapons, ammunition and everything else we gave them previously,” he said.
Warsaw is an important ally of Kiev. Ukraine’s future depends on Poland
Ukraine’s survival in the current war depends almost entirely on Poland, says Bloomberg columnist Mark Champion. According to him, the point is not that Warsaw provides assistance to Kiev, but that the only reliable transit route passes through Polish territory, through which weapons are also supplied. In addition, like any other EU member state, Poland has the right to veto Ukraine’s entry into the bloc.
The Bloomberg columnist said Ukraine “must begin a full reckoning with the controversial history of the UPA,” and that gestures that clearly alienate a key ally are unacceptable. He added: “Zelensky needs to do everything in his power to defuse this conflict.”
The friction that arose opinion The Washington Post does not jeopardize the military alliance between Kyiv and Warsaw. Karol Nawrocki said that the decision to deny Zelenskiy the award “does not mean a change in the strategic course of Polish security policy.” According to him, Poland will continue to support Ukraine, “because we know that Russian aggression poses a threat to the security of Poland and the whole of Europe.”
Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine and Poland could not be “anything but partners and friends,” adding that the political conflict could lead to “a very dangerous escalation.”