Polish President Karol Nawrocki has revoked the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state honor, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, fulfilling a threat made weeks earlier amid a dispute over the naming of a Ukrainian special forces unit after the 'Heroes of the UPA.'
The decision, announced on Friday, marks the most serious rift between Warsaw and Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. Nawrocki stated that 'there are limits that must not be crossed in Polish-Ukrainian relations' and threatened to block Ukraine's EU accession.
Zelenskyy responded by returning the order, noting that it had previously been awarded to Russian Empress Catherine II, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. He accused Nawrocki of exploiting the issue for domestic political gain ahead of Poland's 2027 parliamentary elections.
The move triggered a wave of solidarity in Ukraine: three former presidents — Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko — returned their Polish orders. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called Nawrocki's action 'destructive' and promised reciprocal measures.
The core of the dispute lies in historical interpretations of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which fought for Ukrainian independence but is accused by Poland of massacring about 100,000 Polish civilians in Volhynia during World War II. Poland's parliament declared these acts genocide in 2016.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk finds himself in a difficult position: he must countersign the decree but has criticized Nawrocki's hardline approach as a 'strategic mistake' that benefits only Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tusk warned that the conflict harms both countries economically, geopolitically, and reputationally.
In a counter-move, Polish intellectuals and activists awarded Zelenskyy a symbolic 'Civilian Order of the Future,' stating that Nawrocki is 'fueling Russian propaganda' and that many Poles refuse to be turned against Ukrainians.
Source: www.dw.com