Polish President Karol Nawrocki has stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland's highest state honor, the Order of the White Eagle, in a move that threatens to strain ties between the two close allies amid Russia's war in Ukraine.

Top Ukrainian officials reacted with outrage, returning their own Polish state decorations. Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, wrote on social media: "This is a gift to the Moscow aggressor, who will certainly use it against both of our countries."

The decision by Nawrocki, announced Friday, follows Zelenskyy's move to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a World War II militia that Poland accuses of participating in massacres of Poles. Nawrocki said the move would not affect Poland's support for Ukraine's defense.

Ukraine's ambassador to Warsaw, Vasyl Bodnar, described the move as "a gesture towards all the Ukrainian people" and announced he was relinquishing his Knight's Cross of the Polish Order of Merit. Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga also said he would return a Polish award, calling the decision "a strategic mistake … that benefits only Moscow."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a political rival of Nawrocki, urged both countries to preserve their solidarity, warning that a dispute "delights Putin and shocks our allies."

Meanwhile, a Russian airstrike on Kharkiv killed at least one person and injured nine on Saturday. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its air-defense systems intercepted 187 Ukrainian drones overnight. The exchange of attacks comes as US-led efforts to end the war remain stalled.

Source: www.dw.com