Decades-old WW II dispute reignites Warsaw-Kyiv tensions as Poland strips Zelenskyy of its highest honour

A dispute over historical memory and wartime atrocities has pushed Poland and Ukraine towards a diplomatic confrontation after Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the country's highest state honour awarded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for approving the naming of a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

The move comes only days before a conference on Ukraine's reconstruction is due to be held in the Polish city of Gdansk and is expected to intensify tensions between the two neighbours.

Nawrocki announces revocation of state honour

Announcing the decision, Nawrocki said, "In light of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's consent to name one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Heroes of the UPA,”... I have decided to revoke the Order of the White Eagle from the President of Ukraine. At this point, I would like to emphasize: this decision is not directed against the Ukrainian people. It ⁠does not signify a change in the strategic direction of Polish security policy."

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There was no immediate comment from Zelenskyy's office.

Historical wounds continue to strain ties

Although Warsaw remains a strong supporter of Kyiv's war effort, public sentiment in Poland has become increasingly negative in recent years due to fatigue over refugees, disagreements over grain imports and the legacy of the World War Two massacres.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the move as a "strategic error".

"We regret that instead of looking for solutions, the Polish side decided to escalate this conflict to an unacceptable and inappropriate level," he wrote on Facebook, adding, "No president of another country is going to dictate our history to us."

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has sought to ease the dispute and is a political opponent of Nawrocki, urged both leaders to lower tensions.

"The conflict between Poland and Ukraine delights Putin and shocks our allies. The task of Presidents Zelenskyy and Nawrocki ‌is to ⁠calm emotions, not to stoke tensions. The front line runs elsewhere," he wrote in a post on X.

Why the UPA remains a divisive issue

Former Polish President Andrzej Duda awarded Zelenskyy the Order of the White Eagle in 2023 for his contributions to bilateral relations, democracy, peace and security in Europe and for "steadfastness in defending inalienable human rights".

However, Nawrocki said in May that an advisory council should examine whether Zelenskyy should lose the honour after he signed a decree recognising a Ukrainian special forces unit's role in fighting Russian forces by naming it after the UPA.

The decision sparked outrage across Poland's political spectrum. Former Polish President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa said he would no longer wear a badge bearing the Ukrainian flag, and, while he continued to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, he would no longer support Zelenskiy.

Some Ukrainians regard the UPA as heroes for their resistance against the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany and as symbols of Ukraine's struggle for independence from Moscow.

However, the UPA was also involved in the Volhynia massacres, a series of killings between 1943 and 1945 in which Poland says around 100,000 Poles were killed by Ukrainian nationalists. Thousands of Ukrainians also died in reprisal killings.