Key facts
- Poland's President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.
- The move followed Zelenskyy's decree naming a military unit after the World War Two Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
- Zelenskyy returned the honour, stating it was awarded to the Ukrainian people and army.
- Several current and former Ukrainian officials, including the foreign minister and ex-presidents, are returning Polish state honours.
- Polish officials expressed concern that the dispute could benefit Russia, a shared adversary.
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged both nations to maintain solidarity despite historical disagreements.
Tensions have escalated between Poland and Ukraine following a dispute over the naming of a Ukrainian military unit and the subsequent stripping of state honours. Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was being stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state honour.
This decision was a direct response to Zelenskyy's decree on May 27, which named the Independent Special Operations Centre “North” of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces as the “Heroes of the UPA.” The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) was a Ukrainian guerrilla force active during World War Two, known for carrying out massacres of the Polish population in Volhynia.
Nawrocki stated that glorifying the UPA provided “a lot of oxygen for disinformation” for Russian propaganda and that it was “not how you build relations between nations.” Zelenskyy subsequently returned the Order of the White Eagle, asserting that it was awarded to the Ukrainian people and army and expressing gratitude for Polish support.
In solidarity with Zelenskyy and in protest of Nawrocki's decision, several Ukrainian officials have announced they are returning Polish state honours. These include Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who is returning the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, and the head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, Kyrylo Budanov, and Ukraine’s ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, who are relinquishing their Officer’s Crosses.
Furthermore, three former presidents of independent Ukraine—Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko—have also announced they are giving up their Order of the White Eagle honours. Poroshenko and Yushchenko explicitly linked their decisions to Nawrocki's move, with Yushchenko calling it “irresponsible.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose government is reportedly at odds with President Nawrocki, acknowledged Zelenskyy's decision but emphasized that the Ukrainian leader had assured him there was no intent to offend Poles. Tusk called for the two nations to maintain solidarity and not let history damage their future. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski expressed concern that the dispute could benefit Russia, highlighting Poland's crucial role as an ally to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Russian officials, including former president Dmitry Medvedev, have welcomed Nawrocki's decision, framing it within their narrative of combating “neo-Nazis” in Ukraine.