Poland's President Nawrocki revokes Zelenskyy state honor
The chief of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, has renounced his Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.
This decision follows a move by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state decoration. Budanov publicly announced his refusal of the award on his Telegram channel, signaling an acute diplomatic rift between Warsaw and Kyiv.
Budanov characterized the decision of the Polish head of state as an unfriendly act toward the Ukrainian nation.
Controversy over wartime partisan honors
The diplomatic dispute was catalyzed by a decree signed by President Zelenskyy, which bestowed an honorary designation remembering the "Heroes of the UPA" upon a Ukrainian military unit.
The Polish presidency reacted to this move by citing the historical actions of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). In 2016, the Polish Sejm legally classified the massacres committed by these organizations against Polish civilians during World War II as genocide.
Budanov emphasized that Ukraine does not dictate historical interpretations to other nations, arguing that the decision by Warsaw serves the interests of the Russian aggressor.
Political divisions within Warsaw
For President Nawrocki’s decree to take legal effect, it requires the constitutional countersignature of his political rival, Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Prime Minister Tusk has publicly urged both the Polish and Ukrainian presidencies to de-escalate the emotional rhetoric surrounding the historical dispute. Tusk emphasized that public discord between Warsaw and Kyiv directly strengthens Moscow’s strategic narrative while alarming Western allies.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also joined the protest, returning a state award granted to him by Poland in 2022 and describing the incident as a strategic blunder.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
