Polish and Ukrainian foreign ministers seek to de-escalate WWII history dispute

The foreign ministers of Poland and Ukraine met in Warsaw in an effort to de-escalate a growing dispute rooted in differing historical interpretations of World War II. The controversy ignited in late May when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy bestowed the title "Heroes of the UPA" upon a Ukrainian army unit. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) is viewed by Ukraine as a nationalist partisan force that fought for the country's independence. However, in Poland, the UPA is remembered for the brutal massacres of tens of thousands of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during the German occupation in 1944. This honorific designation by Zelenskyy sparked outrage in Poland. Adding fuel to the fire, Karol Nawrocki, the president of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, revoked a high Polish state order previously awarded to Zelenskyy, a move that occurred against the advice of the Polish government and further intensified the diplomatic friction between the two nations. During the recent meeting, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and his Ukrainian counterpart Andrij Sybiha reportedly agreed that "truth, respect, and the remembrance of victims remain central elements of bilateral relations." According to the Polish Foreign Ministry, this consensus was reached to foster a more constructive path forward. Sybiha stated that he proposed anti-crisis measures, including consultations between the foreign ministries and discussions among historians, to strengthen bilateral ties. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also commented on the situation, expressing his conviction that strong Ukrainian-Polish relations are mutually beneficial but stressed the need for "accommodation from Kyiv's side."

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that truth, respect and the remembrance of victims remain central elements of bilateral relations