“Before emotions destroy solidarity.” Tusk called on Zelensky and Nawrocki to hold a “direct and honest conversation”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called on Polish President Karol Nawrocki and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to hold a “direct and honest conversation” amid the scandal over the awarding of the honorary title “in the name of the UPA Heroes” to one of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces units.
Polish PM posted this message on the social media platform X.
According to Tusk, “diplomacy has yielded no results” in resolving the conflict between the two countries — apparently, the official is referring to the Ukrainian delegation’s meetings with Polish officials. The media reported that the Ukrainians got a cold reception, with Polish officials expressing dissatisfaction with Ukraine’s decision to honour the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).
He therefore emphasised the need for a face-to-face meeting between the presidents.
“Before emotions destroy our solidarity, which was born in the face of the Russian threat. Cooperation serves the interests of both our states and nations, while conflict serves Moscow's interests. This is surely obvious to all of us,” the Polish PM said.
Previously, he had blamed Ukraine for the scandal, which is why it must “seek a solution.”
More on the controversy surrounding
the renaming of the Special Operations Forces unit
On May 26, President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree granting a Separate Special Operations Centre North of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the honorary name Heroes of the UPA. The document states that the purpose of this decision is to “restore the historical traditions of the national army.”
Lech Wałęsa, former President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, reacted to this by removing a pin featuring the Ukrainian flag and accusing Zelensky of “honouring UPA bandits,” thereby “insulting him and all his killed compatriots.”
Bartosz Cichocki, Poland’s former Ambassador to Ukraine, returned the Order of Merit, which President Volodymyr Zelensky had awarded him in 2022. The Ukrainian flag was removed from the town hall building in Lublin, Poland.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry stated that for Ukrainian military personnel, “the UPA’s struggle symbolises resistance to Moscow’s imperial policies and is in no way directed against Poles.”
Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau at the Office of the President of Poland, believes that the Ukrainian president should call his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki and apologize. Nawrocki himself has called for the Order of the White Eagle (Poland’s highest honour), which was awarded to him in 2023 by then-Polish President Andrzej Duda, to be revoked from the Ukrainian president.