WARSAW — Poland has revoked its highest state honor awarded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a dispute over Ukraine’s decision to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a World War Two-era nationalist group whose legacy remains deeply controversial in Poland.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced on June 19 that Zelenskyy would be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, which had been awarded to him in 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda in recognition of his role in strengthening security, resilience and cooperation between Poland and Ukraine. Polish officials said the decision was linked to a decree signed by Zelenskyy in May granting a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces unit the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA.”
The UPA is regarded by many Ukrainians as a symbol of resistance against Soviet and Nazi occupation during and after World War Two. In Poland, however, the organization is widely associated with the killings of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during the 1940s. Poland’s parliament has previously characterized those massacres as genocide.
Announcing the move, Nawrocki said the decision was intended to defend what he described as the historical values underlying the distinction. According to Polish media and official statements, he stressed that the measure was not directed against the Ukrainian people and did not represent a change in Poland’s broader support for Ukraine’s security.
The decision has generated criticism in both Warsaw and Kyiv. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the revocation as a “strategic mistake,” arguing that it risked increasing tensions between two countries that have maintained close cooperation since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also urged restraint and called for efforts to prevent the dispute from damaging bilateral relations. Tusk said both countries should seek to avoid actions that could deepen divisions while Ukraine continues to rely on international support.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy said he had returned the decoration following Poland’s decision to revoke it. He said the award had been viewed in Ukraine as recognition of the sacrifices made by the Ukrainian people and armed forces. Several former Ukrainian presidents and senior officials also announced they would return Polish honors in protest.
As of Monday, officials in both countries continued to call for dialogue despite the diplomatic dispute. Poland remained one of Ukraine’s principal political, military and humanitarian supporters, while disagreements over historical memory continued to be a sensitive issue in relations between the neighboring states.
