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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

Zelenskyy returns Polish honor amid deepening row

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are returning Polish state honors in protest after Poland's President stripped Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.
  • The dispute stems from Zelenskyy's decision to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which Warsaw accuses of massacres of Poles during World War II.
  • Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged solidarity, warning that the dispute benefits Russia and concerns allies, while a separate Russian airstrike hit Kharkiv.

Top Ukrainian officials, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, are returning Poland's highest state honors in a significant protest against a decision by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.

Ukraine will remain open to all meaningful formats of interaction with Poland, in order to strive to avoid misinterpretations of the complex and painful pages of the past of our peoples and to ensure due respect for all innocent victims of the 20th century.

— Volodymyr ZelenskyyZelenskyy's statement on social media explaining his decision to return a Polish state honor.

Zelenskyy announced on social media that he was returning the award, received in 2023 as a symbol of friendship. He stated that while the medal represented Poland's "highest trust," it no longer held the same meaning after Nawrocki's action. Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine's openness to meaningful interaction with Poland to avoid misinterpretations of their shared history and to respect victims of the 20th century.

The Polish decision follows President Zelenskyy's move to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Warsaw accuses the UPA, a World War II militia, of participating in massacres of Poles. This historical grievance has become a point of contention between the two nations, despite Poland's strong support for Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion.

This is a gift to the Moscow aggressor, who will certainly use it against both of our countries.

— Kyrylo BudanovZelenskyy's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, commenting on the Polish decision to strip President Zelenskyy of Poland's highest award.

Ukrainian officials view Nawrocki's decision as a "gift to the Moscow aggressor" and a "strategic mistake" that benefits Russia. Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, returned the Gold Officer's Cross of the Polish Order of Merit, warning of its use against both countries. Ukraine's ambassador to Warsaw, Vasyl Bodnar, also relinquished his Knight's Cross, calling the move a gesture towards the Ukrainian people. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga similarly returned his award.

as a gesture towards all the Ukrainian people

— Vasyl BodnarUkraine's ambassador to Warsaw, Vasyl Bodnar, describing the Polish decision and announcing his own relinquishment of a Polish award.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a political rival of Nawrocki, has urged both countries to maintain solidarity. He cautioned that the dispute "delights Putin and shocks our allies." Meanwhile, in a separate event, a Russian airstrike on the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Saturday killed at least one person and injured nine others.

a strategic mistake … that benefits only Moscow.

— Andriy SybigaUkrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga on the Polish decision to revoke President Zelenskyy's state honor.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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