Polish historian: Ambassador was right on Volhynia, Poland must not be naive with Ukraine

Professor Antoni Dudek, a historian and political scientist, defended the actions of Poland's acting ambassador to Ukraine, Piotr Łukasiewicz, who faced criticism for mentioning "Ukrainian victims of the Polish state" during commemorations of the Volhynia massacre. Dudek argued that Łukasiewicz's statement was rational and necessary for preserving Polish-Ukrainian relations.

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The truth is that we also have our guilt towards Ukrainians.

"The truth is that we also have our guilt towards Ukrainians," Dudek told Polsat News. He emphasized that Poland has many historical events it should not be proud of, and that the ambassador was attempting to salvage the relationship between the two countries amidst rising nationalism in Poland. Dudek warned that extreme nationalism would not benefit Poland and must be actively opposed.

Dudek also commented on the controversial decision to award and then revoke the Order of the White Eagle from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He called the revocation a mistake, stating that President Duda "went too far." Dudek believes Poland has been too naive in its relationship with Ukraine, though this does not mean Poland should cease its aid.

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I think revoking the Order of the White Eagle was a mistake, and awarding it was also a mistake. I think President Duda went too far.

He expressed skepticism about achieving historical consensus between Poland and Ukraine, citing numerous dramatic events beyond the Volhynia massacre that will always be viewed differently by Poles and Ukrainians. However, Dudek stressed the importance of maintaining Ukraine as an ally against Russia. He cautioned that if mutual animosity is fueled, it could lead to incidents between Poles and Ukrainians, which he fears Russian intelligence services are actively working to instigate to serve Moscow's interests.

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Today, in my opinion, Russian intelligence is intensively working to organize various incidents, like fights between Poles and Ukrainians somewhere.