WARSAW — Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state honor, on Friday, escalating a dispute between Poland and Ukraine over the legacy of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
Nawrocki announced the decision on X, following weeks of tensions over Ukraine’s decision to grant a special forces unit the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA.”
Zelenskyy responded on Saturday by returning the award, which former Polish President Andrzej Duda presented to him in 2023. In a social media post, Zelenskyy said he believed the honor had been awarded to the Ukrainian people and armed forces.
The exchange prompted reactions from Ukrainian officials. Former Presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko and Petro Poroshenko returned Polish honors they had received. Presidential Chief of Staff Kyrylo Budanov and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also returned their awards.
In an interview with Ukrainian television channel 1+1, Zelenskyy said Nawrocki’s decision was linked to domestic political considerations ahead of Poland’s parliamentary elections next year.
The dispute stems from Zelenskyy’s approval in May of a request by a Ukrainian military unit to use the honorary name “Heroes of the UPA.” The UPA fought for Ukrainian independence during and after World War II.
Poland views the UPA differently because its units killed tens of thousands of Polish civilians in Volhynia during World War II. The Polish parliament classified those killings as genocide in 2016.
The issue has long strained relations between Poland and Ukraine. The two countries had reduced tensions over the matter after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Last year, Ukraine authorized the exhumation of mass graves in Volhynia containing Polish victims, a move that both governments viewed as progress in addressing historical disputes.
Nawrocki said there are limits that Polish-Ukrainian relations cannot cross and warned that Poland could oppose Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union.
“A united Europe was built on the rejection of totalitarianism and the cult of violence,” Nawrocki said in a video statement.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized the growing conflict between Warsaw and Kyiv and warned that it could damage both countries. In a post on X, he said Russia would benefit from divisions between Poland and Ukraine.
The dispute comes after years of close cooperation between the two countries. Poland provided military and political support to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion and accepted millions of Ukrainian refugees.
Several Polish intellectuals and civil society activists responded to Nawrocki’s decision by presenting Zelenskyy with a symbolic “Civilian Order of the Future,” which they created to express support for continued Polish-Ukrainian cooperation.
