Zelensky returns Polish award as WWII row strains alliance
Summary
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials returned Polish state awards after Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki took back the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honor, from Zelensky. The dispute began when Zelensky named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which was involved in killings of Poles during World War II, causing tension between the two allied countries.Key Facts
- President Zelensky named a Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which killed thousands of Polish civilians during WWII.
- Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki removed the Order of the White Eagle from Zelensky because of this decision.
- The award was originally given to Zelensky in 2023 to honor the Ukrainian people and army.
- Zelensky and top Ukrainian officials returned Polish state honors in protest.
- Ukrainian officials said Poland’s action helps Russia, which uses WWII history to justify its war against Ukraine.
- Polish President Nawrocki said his decision was not against the Ukrainian people and Poland would continue supporting Ukraine.
- The Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought Nazis and Soviets but also committed massacres in Volhynia, a region that was part of Poland before WWII.
- Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized Zelensky’s naming of the military unit but spoke to him to resolve tensions.
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