Zelenskyy's absence and UPA dispute: Five surprises at Gdansk conference

The Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine, held in Gdansk, was intended to be an exercise in damage control following a diplomatic spat. The controversy erupted when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decision to name an elite military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) led to the revocation of Poland's Order of the White Eagle and the cancellation of Zelenskyy's planned visit to Poland.

Expectations for the conference were not high, with the primary goal appearing to be mitigating the negative consequences of the UPA naming incident and the subsequent diplomatic fallout. Reports circulated about disorganization, including the absence of participant names from the panel schedules, making it difficult to anticipate the agenda's focus.

Despite the efforts to manage the situation, the conference produced several surprising outcomes. However, the article suggests that in one crucial area, the fundamental dynamics or objectives remained unaltered, implying that the core issues or agreements may not have shifted significantly despite the preceding tensions and the conference's proceedings.

The article, a commentary by Michał Szułdrzyński, highlights that while the event aimed to smooth over a significant diplomatic rift, it also brought to light unexpected elements. The presence of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko alongside Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk underscored the international importance of Ukraine's reconstruction, even amidst bilateral tensions.