Polish president denies that row over award is linked to Polish domestic politics, as Zelenskyy suggested

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has rejected a suggestion by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the controversy surrounding the Order of the White Eagle is connected to domestic politics in Poland and the inciting of anti-Ukrainian sentiment.

Source: European Pravda, citing Polsat News

Details: In an interview with Ukrainian TV channel TSN.Tyzhden, Zelenskyy commented on the decision to strip him of the Order of the White Eagle, saying he believes the issue is linked to internal political struggles in Poland and the stoking of anti-Ukrainian sentiment.

A few hours later, Nawrocki responded to this when he was asked by journalists to comment on the Ukrainian leader's remarks.

"The dispute has nothing to do with Poland's internal politics. All patriots understand how many crimes were committed by Ukrainian nationalists in Polish lands, how dramatic those times were. The dispute is about the perception of historical issues and the fact that in Poland we do not accept the red-and-black Banderite flag," Nawrocki said, referring to the flag of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

"I cannot imagine that Polish patriots, and especially the Polish president and the Polish government, would not stand together and unite in such a situation. Volodymyr, dear Mr President, this dispute has nothing to do with Poland's internal affairs. There are none, because all Poles know and understand how much harm Ukrainian nationalists did to Poles and Polish children. President Zelenskyy is mistaken. Thank you," he added.

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".
• Following the decision, a number of current and former Ukrainian officials announced that they would be returning their Polish honours. Questions have also been raised about whether Zelenskyy will attend this year's Ukraine Recovery Conference, scheduled to take place in Gdańsk.
• On 20 June, Zelenskyy said that he had sent the order back to Karol Nawrocki by post.
• The Polish president's chancellery has explained why the award revoked from Zelenskyy is still held by such recipients as former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, the Russian Empress Catherine II (the "Great") and former German chancellor and "friend of the Kremlin" Gerhard Schröder. It called the return of the order by post an additional insult and compared naming the unit in honour of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army to naming a unit in Germany after "heroes of the SS".

Your support on Patreon helps us keep the news free and accessible.