WARSAW — Poland has revoked its highest state honor from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid a dispute over Ukraine's decision to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a World War II-era nationalist group whose legacy remains deeply contested between the two neighboring countries, Polish officials said on Friday.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced that Zelenskyy would be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, an award granted to him in 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda in recognition of his role in strengthening Polish-Ukrainian relations and supporting European security. The decision followed a Ukrainian decree naming a Special Operations Forces unit after the "Heroes of the UPA."
The UPA is regarded by many Ukrainians as a symbol of resistance against Soviet and Nazi domination. In Poland, however, the organization is widely associated with the killings of tens of thousands of ethnic Poles in Volhynia and eastern Galicia during World War II. Poland's parliament has previously described those massacres as genocide.
Announcing the move, Nawrocki said the decision was linked to historical memory rather than Poland's broader policy toward Ukraine. According to Reuters, he emphasized that revoking the honor "is not directed against the Ukrainian people" and does not represent a change in Poland's support for Ukraine's security.
The decision has exposed tensions in a relationship that has otherwise been marked by close cooperation since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Poland has been one of Kyiv's strongest military, political and humanitarian supporters during the conflict.
Ukrainian officials criticized the move. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the revocation as a "strategic error," according to Reuters, while urging both countries to continue dialogue over historical issues. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who opposed the decision, also called for restraint and warned against allowing disputes over history to damage bilateral ties.
The dispute escalated further after Zelenskyy returned the Order of the White Eagle and several senior Ukrainian officials announced they would return Polish state decorations they had previously received. Among them was Kyrylo Budanov, who said the Polish decision benefited Moscow by creating divisions between allies.
Despite the diplomatic disagreement, officials on both sides have indicated that security cooperation will continue. As of Sunday, neither government had announced changes to military or economic support arrangements, though the dispute remained unresolved ahead of upcoming discussions on Ukraine's reconstruction and regional cooperation.
