Key facts
- President Zelenskyy will not attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk.
- Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko will lead Ukraine's delegation to the conference.
- The diplomatic rift is due to Zelenskyy honoring a military unit named after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
- The UPA is linked to the WWII Volhynia massacres, which killed tens of thousands of Poles.
- Polish President Andrzej Duda revoked Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle.
- Zelenskyy returned the award and accused Polish politicians of stoking anti-Ukrainian sentiment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, Poland, due to a significant diplomatic dispute with the host nation. The conference, aimed at securing international support for Ukraine's postwar reconstruction, will instead be led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The rift centers on Zelenskyy's decision to honor a military unit named after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). While Ukraine views the UPA as freedom fighters against Soviet forces, Poland remembers the group for its role in the 1943-1945 Volhynia massacres, where up to 100,000 Poles were killed. This historical grievance has led to heightened tensions, with Polish President Andrzej Duda revoking Zelenskyy's highest civilian honor, the Order of the White Eagle, in response.
Zelenskyy returned the award, accusing Polish politicians of exploiting anti-Ukrainian sentiment ahead of elections. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk acknowledged such sentiment but urged de-escalation, calling the dispute a "strategic mistake." The European Union has warned that the worsening relations between the two neighbors primarily benefit Russia, the aggressor in Ukraine.