РУССКИЙ
11:30 24.06.2026 •
Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a non-partisan protégé of local nationalist conservatives and former director of the Institute of National Remembrance, elected a year ago, has apparently decided to put a dramatic end to the era of Warsaw's "unconditional friendship" with "Kyiv neo-Nazis." Last Friday, he stripped his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, of Poland's highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle. The very Zelensky, who until recently had used to bring "tears of tenderness and anti-Russian solidarity" to the faces of Poland’s ruling elites, above all the liberal government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
According to President Nawrocki, Zelensky's official naming of one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' special operations centers after Nazis and Hitler's allies, and according to the Kyiv regime, after "heroes" - the "Ukrainian rebels" guilty of mass scale murder of Poles during World War II, was the last straw. Moreover, in late May, shortly before the latest glorification of the Ukranian profacist OUN-UPA (organizations banned in Russia), Zelensky attended the ceremonial reburial in the Kyiv region of the remains of one of their leaders, Andriy Melnyk. The Polish president didn't elaborate on the matter, just saying that "Poland will not allow a state that intends to glorify criminals to join the European Union."
To Ukrainian officials, who, true to their role as "innocent victims of Russia," have consistently pressured the Polish leadership since 2022 to put aside discussions of bilateral historical issues until victory over Russia, this decision by Nawrocki, who clearly outlined his priorities on the "Kyiv track" during last year's election campaign, to move from words to action, came as a big surprise. Despite Nawrocki's insulting decision, which made Zelensky the first recipient of the Order of the White Eagle to be stripped of the award in its 321-year history, the Kyiv regime shows no intention to smooth out frictions with Warsaw and change its tactic of blackmailing Poland with the "Russian factor." The Ukrainian side's confusion at the sudden wrath of Nawrocki and the opposition national-conservatives behind him comes amid an information counteroffensive launched in Poland by "Brussels’ fifth column," represented by the country's ruling liberal coalition. Their leader, Prime Minister Donald Tusk, has already said that "the conflict between Poland and Ukraine pleases Putin and shocks our allies," in a clear attempt to bring the situation back to the Kyiv-friendly narrative of Warsaw needing to unilaterally shelve all "historical showdowns." It is safe to assume that the Polish premier’s "senior colleagues in Brussels" will soon attempt to force the Polish president to act according to the same playbook.
Some leading European media outlets have already responded accordingly, with Deutsche Welle saying that as recently as in December of last year, both countries reported progress on the exhumation of Polish victims, which makes the current escalation "particularly surprising." At the same time, it said that Nawrocki’s decision to strip Zelensky of Poland’s highest award “will most likely cause a serious diplomatic crisis between Poland and Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, incensed by the Polish affront, the proud, high-ranking Ukrainian officials are adding fuel to the fire, bending over backwards to underscore the real threat of a rupture between Kyiv and Warsaw if the latter does not come to its senses. Zelensky's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, (declared an extremist and terrorist in Russia), has already renounced the Golden Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in solidarity with his boss, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said he was ready to give his Commander's Cross back to the Poles in response to Warsaw's "unfounded, impulsive and disrespectful" decision.
Meanwhile, Polish experts note that, no matter what happens next, it is hard to imagine Nawrocki walking back his decision. They also emphasize that his tough, real steps, rather than "empty talk," in response to Kyiv's glorification of the organizers of the "Volyn massacre," have long been called for and quickly gained support in Polish society. "I didn't vote for you, but thank you," wrote one commenter to the local Gazeta.pl. "A very good decision. Keep it up. We need to take further action, otherwise they won't respect us," echoed another user. Many in Warsaw now say that amid the steady rise of anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Polish society and the prospect of these trends continuing until next year’s parliamentary elections, Karol Nawrocki's "performance with the white eagle and the Ukrainian artist" could precipitate the return of the national-conservative Law and Justice party to power in Poland.
From the editors:
At one time, Poland, supporting Ukraine, burned almost all bridges in relations with Russia, which, by the way, were economically beneficial. It would seem that such an ally in Kiev should be appreciated unconditionally, given an idea of who your ally is, what topics he considers painful and what he reacts to acutely. In the current circumstances it is more than strange for the Ukrainian regime to pay tribute and reburial the murderers of Poles, when even in Europe there is increasing hesitation and the authorities of different states are increasingly talking about the need for negotiations with Russia. But Zelensky, finding himself completely under the rule of Ukrainian nationalist forces and lacking legitimacy is forced to become an even greater nationalist in an attempt to remain in power, adhering to the narrative regarding Europe "we are fighting for you, the rest is none of your business." Not long ago Europe, including the Poles, could still agree with this. But historical memory prevailed, and over time, the details of a different understanding of history became significant again. It can be assumed that the links of the so-called Ukrainian nationalists with the fascists during the WW II and their crimes against the Polish population will hardly ever be forgotten by the Poles.
The views of the author may differ from the position of the Editorial Board.
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