Polish PM wants "clear signals" from Ukraine over UPA heroes row

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said he has received "positive signals" from current and former senior Ukrainian officials, but is waiting for Kyiv to take the first step to ease tensions in bilateral relations.

Source: Polish news channel Polsat News; European Pravda

Details: Asked about the escalation in Polish-Ukrainian relations, Tusk said he has received "several signals" from former and current Ukrainian politicians, including former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko.

Quote: "The former president of Ukraine sent me a very sincere letter, asking us to try to work together on the past and to ensure that the past does not determine the future, because if the past controls us, the future will not be easy."

More details: Tusk also said he expects a clear signal from Kyiv over Zelenskyy's decision to name a unit after the UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) heroes.

Quote: "We expect Ukraine to take the first step after President Zelenskyy's unfortunate decision. It would be good to hear a very clear signal from Kyiv. They are trying, but we would still like to hear this clearly and confidently."

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, Polish President Karol Nawrocki decided to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle in connection with the naming of one of the Ukrainian units after 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".
• During a meeting with his Polish counterpart Radosław Sikorski in Warsaw on 3 July, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha proposed "a package of anti-crisis steps", aimed at easing tensions between the two countries.

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