How Will the Polish President’s Response to Ukrainian President Zelensky’s Decree Naming a Military Unit After the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), Which Poland Holds Responsible for the Mass Killings of Polish Civilians During World War II, Affect the Chances of Ukrainian Nationalists Being Quickly Accepted into the European Union? Western Europeans Are Uneasy. This Is Evidenced by J. Kaczynski’s Unexpected Move

 

The Polish president’s decision to strip V. Zelensky of his highest state award has seriously damaged relations between the countries and paved the way for Warsaw to block or delay Ukraine’s membership in the EU. Since EU accession requires the approval of all 27 member states, growing opposition in Poland poses a serious threat to the speed of Ukraine’s integration.

 

Political and public reactions in Poland:

 

• Official position: Polish President Karol Nawrocki stated that the country will not allow the EU to become a place for those who do not understand the need to abandon the cult of totalitarianism and violence, and the right-wing opposition is already openly calling for blocking the start of negotiations.

 

• Public sentiment: Recent polls show that, due to this historical conflict, about 59.7% of Polish citizens no longer support Ukraine's membership in the European Union.

 

Diplomatic consequences:

• Kiev's decision to honor dissident fighters as "heroes" has violated the historical sensitivity of Poland and all of Western Europe. It turns out that it is not permissible to exterminate Jewish civilians, but to exterminate Polish civilians - do as you please, and we will pay for it. This will not fly in Europe today.

• “Pausing” of negotiations: The tensions make it politically more convenient for Warsaw to agree to a “slower” Ukraine’s accession process and to demand that all issues related to the Volhynia massacre be resolved before the EU talks are concluded.

 

The allies’ dispute shows that disagreements over the events of World War II and today’s behavior remain one of the most sensitive obstacles on Ukraine’s path to the EU, the resolution of which will now depend on the ability of both sides to reach a compromise and the attitude of Western European voters towards Ukrainian nationalists. This is not just about history. It is about what Ukrainian nationalists are doing now and are prepared to do in the future.

 

“As the diplomatic spat between Kyiv and Warsaw continues, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland’s main opposition party Law and Justice (PiS), said on Thursday that he would return the Ukrainian state award he had been awarded.

 

“I intend to return this award. This will be an expression of my attitude towards the Ukrainian elite and a sign of loyalty to President Karol Nawrocki, because such actions are necessary today,” Kaczynski told reporters. He assured that he would prefer to avoid further escalation of tensions with Ukraine, but claimed that “the other side is escalating the conflict.”

 

In June 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded Kaczynski the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 2nd degree. This award is one of the highest state awards of Ukraine and is awarded to Ukrainian citizens, foreigners and stateless persons for exceptional services to the state and people of Ukraine.

 

Last week, Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle, awarded to his predecessor, Volodymyr Zelensky.

 

This was the Polish president’s response to Ukrainian President Zelensky’s decree naming the military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which Poland holds responsible for the mass killings of Polish civilians during World War II.

 

Between 1943 and 1945, the UPA killed many thousands of Polish civilians in Volhynia, a region of Ukraine that had belonged to Poland before World War II.

 

However, Zelensky’s entourage, Zelensky himself, and some other Ukrainians praise the UPA for its resistance to both the Nazis and the Soviets in the effort to create a Ukrainian state. The dispute over the treatment of UPA members and the monuments dedicated to them has long clouded diplomatic relations between these allies and neighbors.”