Key facts
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced a national memorial for victims of World War II 'genocide committed by Ukrainian nationalists'.
- The announcement escalates a historical dispute between Poland and Ukraine over the Volyn massacres.
- Poland officially observes July 11 as the National Day of Remembrance for Polish victims of the mass murders of Poles during World War II.
- Warsaw claims some 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in 1943-45.
- Ukraine views the UPA as heroes who fought for Ukrainian independence.
- Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called Poland's move a 'strategic mistake'.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the creation of a national memorial to the victims of a "genocide committed by Ukrainian nationalists" during World War Two, escalating a historical dispute between Poland and Ukraine. The announcement came on the anniversary of what Poland calls the "massacre" in Volyn, a region in then-German occupied Poland, now part of Ukraine. Warsaw claims that approximately 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) between 1943 and 1945. Many in Ukraine, however, view the UPA as heroes who fought for Ukrainian independence against various occupying forces. Tusk urged Ukraine to "embrace this truth" if it wished to join the European Union, stating that "memory cannot be the servant of hatred." Polish President Karol Nawrocki affirmed that the dispute would not affect Poland's support for Ukraine amidst the ongoing Russian invasion. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded to the announcement by calling it a "strategic mistake." In solidarity, three former Ukrainian presidents returned their White Eagle awards to Poland. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the commemorations and stressed that both Ukraine and Poland face a common, mortal threat from Russia.