Polish president denies Zelenskyy's remarks that "order controversy" is linked to Polish domestic politics

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's remarks that the controversy surrounding the Order of the White Eagle is connected to internal political struggles in Poland and the incitement 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 revoke the Order of the White Eagle awarded to him, saying the issue is linked to internal political struggles in Poland and the stoking of anti-Ukrainian sentiment.

A few hours later, Nawrocki responded to these remarks. Journalists asked him to comment on the Ukrainian leader's remarks.

"The dispute does not concern Poland's internal politics. All patriots understand how many crimes were committed by Ukrainian nationalists on Polish lands. How dramatic those times were. The dispute concerns the perception of historical issues and the fact that in Poland, we do not accept the red-and-black Banderite flag," the Polish president 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, in such a situation would not stand together and unite. Volodymyr, dear Mr President, this dispute does not concern Poland's internal affairs at all. 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.

Previously:

• 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 return their Polish honours. Questions were also raised about whether Zelenskyy would attend this year's Ukraine Recovery Conference, scheduled to take place in Gdańsk, Poland.

Background:

• On 20 June, Zelenskyy said that he had sent the order back to Karol Nawrocki by post.
• The Polish president's chancellery explained why the award stripped from Zelenskyy is still held by such figures as former Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, Russian empress Catherine II (the "Great") and former German chancellor and "friend of the Kremlin" Gerhard Schröder, called the return of the order by post an additional insult, and compared the naming in honour of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army to what it would be like if a unit in Germany were named after "SS heroes".

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