Key facts
- Former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yuschenko, and Petro Poroshenko renounced their Polish Order of the White Eagle.
- The decision was made in solidarity with President Zelensky, whose own award was revoked by Poland.
- The dispute stems from Ukraine naming a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
- Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked Zelensky's award.
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the dispute benefits Russia.
Former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yuschenko, and Petro Poroshenko have renounced their Polish Order of the White Eagle in solidarity with President Volodymyr Zelensky. The decision follows Polish President Karol Nawrocki's revocation of Zelensky's award due to a dispute over Ukraine naming a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a World War II-era nationalist organization controversial in Poland for its role in massacres of Poles.
Zelensky had previously returned his own medal, stating Ukraine remains open to dialogue to avoid conflicting interpretations of shared history. Several other Ukrainian officials also renounced their Polish awards in protest. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk cautioned that such disputes benefit Russia and urged de-escalation, with the controversy arising shortly before the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, which Zelensky is scheduled to attend.