Poland strips Zelenskyy of top honor over WWII militia naming dispute
Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Poland's nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, revoked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle.
- The decision follows Ukraine's naming of a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), accused of massacres of Poles during WWII.
- Despite the dispute, Poland affirmed its continued support for Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
Poland's President Karol Nawrocki announced Friday he is stripping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the nation's highest honor, the Order of the White Eagle. The move escalates tensions between the two allied nations.
Therefore, in light of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's consent to name one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 'Heroes of the UPA'... I have decided to revoke the Order of the White Eagle from the President of Ukraine.
Nawrocki cited Zelenskyy's decision to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Warsaw accuses the UPA of massacring tens of thousands of Poles during World War II. "Historical truth is not, and can never be, a bargaining chip," Nawrocki stated on X. "Remembering the victims is a moral obligation of the Polish state."
Despite revoking the award, Nawrocki stressed that Poland's support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia's invasion would not diminish. However, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the decision a "strategic error" that "only benefits Moscow." He added that "No president of another country is going to dictate our history to us."
Historical truth is not, and can never be, a bargaining chip. Remembering the victims is a moral obligation of the Polish state.
Poland's liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed concern, writing on X that the conflict "pleases (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and shocks our allies." He urged Presidents Zelenskyy and Nawrocki to "calm emotions, not to stoke tensions," adding, "The front line lies elsewhere."
The decision to strip the president of Ukraine of the Order of the White Eagle is a strategic error by the President of Poland that only benefits Moscow.
The dispute comes just days before Poland is scheduled to host the annual Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, raising questions about Zelenskyy's attendance.
No president of another country is going to dictate our history to us.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Times of Oman in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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