Poland’s Karol Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, stripping him of Poland’s oldest and highest state decoration. Nawrocki justified the move by Zelenskyy’s decision to name a Ukrainian special forces unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). The UPA fought against the Red Army during World War II and is held responsible in Poland for massacres of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.
In response to Nawrocki’s decision, several senior Ukrainian politicians returned their Polish awards. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha gave up the Golden Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. Defense Minister Rustem Umierov announced he would return the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit awarded to him in 2022. Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk and former President Petro Poroshenko also returned their decorations. Zelenskyy himself sent the order back to Warsaw by courier.
Nawrocki stated that the decision was not directed against the Ukrainian people and did not signify a change in Poland’s strategic security policy. He reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression but made clear that the decision came after a two-week deliberation period, during which Nawrocki attended U.S. Donald Trump’s birthday among other events.
Tusk sharply criticized the move. “This is a gift to Putin,” Tusk wrote on X. He called for restraint from both sides. Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov shared a post by Putin ally Dmitry Medvedev, who welcomed Nawrocki’s decision, commenting: “The process has begun.”
Source: www.pravda.com.ua
