Ukrainian foreign minister to propose shared hero for National Pantheon during Warsaw visit

Following the Ukrainian parliament's approval of the law on the National Pantheon on 1 July, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha is expected to travel to Warsaw with a compromise proposal.

Source: Polish media outlet WP, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Sybiha will propose including Marko Bezruchko, a general of the army of the Ukrainian People's Republic, in the National Pantheon.

Bezruchko fought alongside Polish forces during the capture of Kyiv in 1920 and later defended Zamość against Soviet troops. Today, a square in Warsaw's Wola district and a roundabout in Wrocław are named in his honour.

Hovewer, Polish officials fear that Sybiha's gesture may turn out to be a ploy and will offer no guarantee that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not escalate tensions with Poland again or that the Pantheon will not eventually include figures likely to provoke controversy in Warsaw.

Diplomatic sources described Sybiha's proposal and the reference to Bezruchko as "welcome", but said they do not guarantee any meaningful improvement in relations.

The Office of the President of Ukraine commented on the WP report. Zelenskyy's adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said that "Bezruchko is a good idea". However, he stressed that, under the newly adopted law, a special collegial body will consider nominations and that each proposed name will be subject to a majority vote in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament).

Background:

• On 1 July, the Verkhovna Rada approved the creation of the Ukrainian National Pantheon.
• According to media reports, the Polish government does not intend to respond sharply to Zelenskyy's announcement on the creation of the Ukrainian National Pantheon. Instead, Warsaw plans to wait until the project is finalised and the names of those to be honoured are announced.
• Commenting on the adoption of the law on the National Pantheon, Zbigniew Bogucki, Head of the Chancellery of the President of Poland, said that Ukraine has the sovereignty and freedom to make such decisions, but questioned whether those decisions are the right ones.

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