Zelenskyy's returned Order of the White Eagle invalid, Poland's Presidential Office says

Poland's Presidential Office has received the Order of the White Eagle, an award previously bestowed upon Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The order was returned by Zelenskyy and is now held in deposit by the Bureau of Decorations and Awards. According to Rafał Leśkiewicz, a presidential spokesperson, the order's validity has expired because it cannot be re-awarded to anyone. A formal publication of the president's decree, countersigned by the prime minister, is still required.

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The White Eagle Order, which was awarded to Zelenskyy in 2023, cannot be awarded to anyone again. The certificate loses its validity, so the order along with the certificate goes into the deposit of the Chancellery of the President.

Leśkiewicz stated in a Polsat News interview that Zelenskyy initiated the current crisis and has become a "hostage to the political situation" he orchestrated weeks prior. The spokesperson also addressed attempts by the Ukrainian side to contact the Polish Presidential Office. Initially, Ukraine proposed a phone call, but it did not occur because Zelenskyy reportedly did not wish to speak with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Subsequently, a direct meeting between the two presidents was planned in Warsaw, but the Ukrainian side canceled it without providing a clear explanation.

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The question should be asked to Zelenskyy, who 'provoked this crisis, and is now a hostage to the political situation he led to a few weeks ago.'

Leśkiewicz asserted that Zelenskyy is misrepresenting facts regarding the planned meeting. In a recent interview, Zelenskyy claimed that the Polish president escalated the issue over the order due to internal political struggles in Poland. Leśkiewicz expressed hope for a normalization of relations between Poland and Ukraine. Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau of the Chancellery of the President, noted that the Ukrainian side withdrew from the agreed-upon meeting in Warsaw, proposing a later date, suggesting a lack of interest in a substantive discussion with the Polish president.

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The Ukrainians proposed a direct meeting of both presidents. A date and time were scheduled, the meeting in Warsaw... was supposed to take place a few days ago. And we did not receive further information from Zelenskyy's chancellery. The Ukrainians gave up organizing this meeting, they fell silent, they ended the talks.