Ukrainian foreign minister vows to use all diplomatic tools to resolve dispute with Poland

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said Ukraine is willing to engage in an equal, honest and mutually beneficial partnership with Poland.

Source: Sybiha while speaking to the media after a ceremony to raise the Crimean Tatar flag outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine

Details: According to Sybiha, the participation of the Ukrainian delegation, led by the prime minister, in the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk demonstrates Kyiv's commitment to further developing this dialogue.

"We are, by the way, keeping diplomatic channels open. We are working, and we have ongoing discussions, including on documents that were due to be adopted, on further steps and on possible future contact. So let us make full use of the diplomatic tools at our disposal – they are there," the foreign minister said.

He added that Ukraine knows how to stabilise bilateral relations and "de-escalate tensions in those areas where they genuinely exist".

"Yes, our bilateral relations can currently be described as being in a state of crisis, so we need to keep moving forward," Sybiha said, noting that significant progress has been made on difficult issues, particularly historical ones, over the past year and a half.

The minister stressed that emotions should be set aside and that disputes benefit only the common adversary – Russia.

"Ukraine is part of the European space. History shows that every country on the European continent has had difficult chapters in its past and challenging moments in its bilateral relations. That is history; that is geopolitical reality. But, on the other hand, any tensions or negative trends in the development of relations play into Moscow's hands. That is precisely the case with Poland," Sybiha said.

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. 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 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 be returning the Polish state awards they had received.
• It was also reported that Michał Kamiński, Deputy Marshal of the Polish Senate, decided to return two Ukrainian state decorations in response to similar decisions by Zelenskyy, former Ukrainian presidents and several officials to return their Polish honours.

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