Zelenskyy returns Polish honor after president revokes it in history dispute
Summary
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned Poland's highest state honor after the Polish president took it back due to a disagreement about World War II history. The controversy arose because Zelenskyy named a Ukrainian military unit after a group accused of killing Poles during the war, which Poland sees as offensive.Key Facts
- Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle from President Zelenskyy over naming a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
- The UPA is accused by Poland of committing mass killings of Polish citizens during World War II.
- Zelenskyy had received the award in 2023 from former Polish President Andrzej Duda for contributions to security and human rights.
- Zelenskyy said the award was meant for the Ukrainian people and returned it respectfully.
- Poland remains a key supporter of Ukraine's fight against Russia despite the dispute.
- Some Ukrainian officials also returned Polish state honors in protest of the revocation.
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for calmer relations and warned that the dispute benefits Russia.
- The UPA fought against both Nazi and Soviet forces but is remembered in Poland mainly for the attacks on Poles during the 1940s.
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