No strategic mistake: Polish President's Office responds to Ukrainian foreign minister's statement regarding Zelenskyy's order

Zbigniew Bogucki, Head of the Chancellery of the President of Poland, has said that Ukrainians failed to use the opportunity provided by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to cancel the naming of a military unit after the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

Source: Polish media outlet Onet citing Bogucki, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha earlier called the decision to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle "a strategic mistake that will benefit only Moscow". Commenting on Sybiha's remarks, Bogucki said there was "no strategic mistake on the part of Poland".

"There is no mistake on President Karol Nawrocki's side. The mistake was made by the Ukrainian side when President Zelenskyy decided to name an important Ukrainian unit after UPA criminals," the official said on Polish TV channel wPolsce24.

Bogucki said Zelenskyy's decision had been taken "contrary to agreements that had been reached". He pointed out that Nawrocki "mentioned the possibility [of revoking the order] first of all".

Quote: "The next step was to convene the chapter and seek its opinion, followed by diplomatic talks that gave the Ukrainian side time to reconsider and reverse the decision. The Ukrainians did not take that opportunity, so the president made his decision in a measured and considered manner."

For reference: The Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA, was a nationalist paramilitary organisation that fought for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II, primarily against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Poland believes that the UPA was responsible for what it considers the genocide of Poles during the Volyn (Volhynia) tragedy, a series of events that led to the ethnic cleansing of the Polish and Ukrainian populations in 1943. The tragedy was part of a long-standing rivalry between Ukrainians and Poles in what is now Ukraine's west.

Background:

• On the evening of 19 June, Nawrocki took the decision to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle in connection with the naming of a Ukrainian military unit after the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. He said Poland would not allow EU accession for those who do not understand the need to renounce the "cult of totalitarianism and violence".
• Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has expressed regret that the dispute between Poland and Ukraine is further deepening, noting that it has "delighted Putin and shocked our allies". However, he did not comment on whether he would be taking the necessary procedural steps to approve Nawrocki's decision.
• So far Ukraine has not commented on whether the row will affect Zelenskyy's upcoming trip to Gdańsk, where this year's Ukraine Recovery Conference is due to take place.
• Earlier, Ukrainian officials, including Sybiha, announced that they would be returning the Polish state awards they had received.

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