This is how he commented on the conflict between Ukraine and Poland over the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). The conflict was sparked by the decision to name a military unit “Heroes of the UPA”, which provoked a sharp reaction from Warsaw.
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Stuart Dowell, political editor at TVP World, and Robert Pszczel, senior fellow at the Centre for Eastern Studies in Warsaw, said on “World Talks” that both Ukrainian decisions and an increasingly fragmented Polish right-wing force contributed to the deterioration of relations.
The dispute – a long-running issue concerning the killings of Poles in what is now western Ukraine during World War II – escalated after President V. Zelensky granted an honorary title associated with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). In Poland, this organization is considered responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Polish civilians in the Volhynia and Eastern Galicia regions.
The conflict intensified in June when Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state award.
“This is not smart”
R. Pszczel, a former Polish diplomat and NATO official, said that Kyiv underestimated Polish sensitivity and violated an unofficial agreement under which both governments avoided making symbolic decisions that would undoubtedly provoke the other side.
He said that Ukrainian leaders acted partly for domestic political reasons, but warned that this was reducing Polish support for Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO.
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“This is not smart,” said R. Pszczel, adding that reconciliation from Kyiv required looking at historical facts. Quoting Pope John Paul II, he said: “Reconciliation can only be built on truth.”
An open wound for Poles
S. Dowell agreed that V. Zelensky made a mistake, stating that he truly shot himself in the foot. However, he argued that this dispute became particularly damaging because nationalist parties in Poland are fiercely competing for right-wing voters. According to him, the UPA and Volhynia issue became powerful election campaign material.
Both participants in the discussion said that limited Ukrainian actions to improve access to archives were welcome but insufficient. S. Dowell stated that progress would depend on Kyiv issuing permits for the exhumation and reburial of Polish victims – a process that, despite previous agreements, has been repeatedly delayed.
According to him, for many Poles, the unresolved burial issue remains “an open wound for Polish society.”
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