Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was sending Poland back the Order of the White Eagle after Polish President Karol Nawrocki moved to revoke the decoration over a bitter dispute tied to World War II memory. The award had been given to Zelensky in 2023 by former Polish president Andrzej Duda.
The dispute escalated after Zelensky named a special forces unit after “heroes of the UPA,” the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. In Poland, that was seen as unforgivable because UPA fighters are blamed for the Volhynia massacre in 1943 to 1945, in which about 100,000 Poles were killed. Nawrocki said the honor had to be withdrawn because it requires “respect for the values that form the foundation of our community.”
Zelensky responded unusually sharply on social media, posting photos of the medal packed for return. He mocked the Polish leadership, saying that if the symbol can remain with controversial figures such as Catherine II and Benito Mussolini, Ukraine would not argue. He added that the decoration was originally meant for the Ukrainian people and army, and said, “I believe the future will confirm the honor due to Ukrainians.”
The move triggered domestic political uproar. Ukraine’s foreign minister called the revocation a “strategic mistake,” while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that the conflict “delights Putin and shocks our allies.” The spat comes just days before an international conference on rebuilding Ukraine is due to open in Gdansk, raising fears for continued strategic cooperation between the neighboring countries.
