Zelenskiy May Lose Poland’s Top Honour Amid Naming Controversy
Controversy Over Ukraine's Army Unit Renaming and Polish Honour
By Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk
Background of the Honour and Recent Developments
WARSAW, May 29 (Reuters) - Poland's president said on Friday he wanted a state body to discuss stripping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Poland's top honour, after Ukraine renamed an army unit after nationalist insurgents who massacred Poles in World War Two.
Poland has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv during Russia's war in Ukraine, and former President Andrzej Duda awarded Zelenskiy the Order of the White Eagle in 2023.
But Zelenskiy has caused indignation in Poland by signing a decree recognising a Ukrainian special forces unit's contribution to the fight against Russian forces by naming it after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
Historical Context of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)
Some Ukrainians regard the UPA as heroes for the resistance they mounted against the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, and as symbols of Kyiv's struggle for independence from Moscow.
But the UPA was also involved in the Volynhia massacres, a series of killings from 1943 to 1945 in which Poland says around 100,000 Poles were killed by Ukrainian nationalists. Thousands of Ukrainians also died in reprisal killings.
Impact on Polish-Ukrainian Relations
"Glorifying the UPA has provided Russian propaganda with ample oxygen for disinformation," Nawrocki told reporters in Warsaw on Friday.
He said supporting Ukraine against Russia was a strategic goal for Poland. But the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle, an advisory council which oversees Poland's highest and oldest state decoration, will meet on June 8, he said.
"I proposed that one of the items on the agenda be the revocation of President Zelenskiy's Order of the White Eagle," he said, explaining that "certain mechanisms" such as a Chapter meeting were needed before he could take a final decision.
Reactions and Statements
Decision 'Wounds' Memory of Victims
Nawrocki, a conservative nationalist inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump, has tapped into weariness among some Poles with the large number of Ukrainians in the country, and promised during his election campaign to put "Poles first".
Poland's foreign ministry said on X on Friday that renaming the Ukrainian unit after the UPA "wounds the memory of the victims of that organisation and strikes at the dialogue between our nations."
Ukrainian Response
A spokesman for the Ukrainian presidency declined to comment on Nawrocki’s remarks.
"We’re just thankful to Poland for all the support and we hope that our independence, and Poland's, will remain strong despite all the Russian attempts to kill it," the spokesperson said.
Zelenskiy's Recognition and Broader Implications
Zelenskiy received the Order of the White Eagle in recognition of his contributions to bilateral relations, democracy, peace and security in Europe and for "steadfastness in defending inalienable human rights".
(Additional reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz and Dan Flynn, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
