Ukraine's second president renounces Polish Order of White Eagle – photo
Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine's second president, has decided to give up the Order of the White Eagle after Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the award.
Source: a statement by Kuchma released by Darka Olifer, the press secretary of his foundation
Quote: "In connection with Polish President Karol Nawrocki's decision to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Polish Order of the White Eagle, I have decided to renounce this order, which I had the honour of being awarded in 1997."
Details: Kuchma noted that throughout his presidency, he had considered building friendly relations with Poland to be one of his key priorities.
"Together with my counterpart Aleksander Kwaśniewski, we made the greatest possible effort to achieve this. We paid particular attention to resolving historical issues in the relationship between our peoples, which resulted in our joint 2003 statement on reconciliation. We forgive and ask for forgiveness – that is the principle that President Kwaśniewski and I developed under the spiritual mediation of a great Pole, Pope John Paul II," the second president of Ukraine said.
Kuchma added that over the decades, this principle worked, and genuine friendship between Ukraine and Poland became a reality. This was confirmed by the invaluable assistance Poland has provided to Ukraine from the first hours of Russia's full-scale invasion.
"And I am convinced that the present unfriendly step by President Nawrocki cannot undo all of this. But today I have no other choice but to renounce the high Polish order. Ukraine did not enter the fight against Russia, which justified its invasion with historical claims, for other countries to dictate our history now and decide whom we should honour," Kuchma stated.
He said he is confident that the friendly and allied relations between Ukraine and Poland would be preserved, but stressed that today he feels sadness and concern.
"It's one thing when an enemy attacks. It is quite another when enmity drives friends apart. And it is even worse if those friends are also facing a common threat. We should remember history. But the past cannot be more important than the future," Kuchma said.
All the presidents of independent Ukraine except the pro-Russian fourth president, Viktor Yanukovych, were awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state decoration.
Background:
- On the evening of 19 June, Polish President Karol Nawrocki took the decision to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr 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, and stated that Poland would not allow EU accession for those who do not understand the need to renounce the "cult of totalitarianism and violence".
- Following this, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar, and Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov announced that they would return the Polish state awards they had received.
- On 20 June, Zelenskyy said he had sent the order to Karol Nawrocki by post.
- On 20 June, Nawrocki explained that he had stripped Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle because Zelenskyy had crossed the Poles' "pain threshold".
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