Poland's President Not Invited to Ukraine Recovery Conference Amid Diplomatic Row

The conference, co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland, aims to mobilize economic support for Ukraine. Preparations are overshadowed by deteriorating relations between the two nations, largely due to historical grievances.

The Ukrainian Presidential Office responded that the matter of inviting the Polish president is an internal Polish affair. Presidential advisor Dmytro Lytvyn stated it would be inappropriate for Ukraine to invite the president of Poland to an event held in Poland. President Zelensky is reportedly considering attending the conference in person.

A diplomatic dispute erupted after Ukrainian President Zelensky named a military unit after the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). While Ukraine views the UPA as having resisted Moscow's occupation, in Poland, the group is primarily remembered for the 1943-1945 Volyn massacres, where thousands of Poles were killed in what is now western Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainians were also killed in retaliatory attacks.

The current dispute unfolds a year before Polish parliamentary elections, with Prime Minister Tusk, a political rival of President Duda, calling the conflict a "strategic mistake" and urging de-escalation.