Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz stated on Wednesday that he raised this issue with his Ukrainian colleague Mykhailo Fedorov and hopes that Kyiv will change course, reports “TVP World”.
Read more Millionaire Dainius Dundulis – about rivals’ intrigues and why children do not work in his business
The dispute flared up after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week gave the name “UPA heroes” to a Ukrainian military unit.
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army, called UPA, is considered by many Ukrainians as an independence movement that fought against Soviet rule.
However, in Poland it is associated with the killing of tens of thousands of Polish civilians in the Volhynia and Eastern Galicia regions during World War II.
“An unfriendly act causing pain in Polish hearts”
W. Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Ukraine’s explanation that this decision was not intended to offend Poles is not enough.
“An unfriendly act causing pain in Polish hearts is the glorification of the UPA, especially giving its name to military units while we are helping the Ukrainian army” fight against the Russian invasion, he said.
“It is unimaginable”
He said Poland expects a “clear statement” from Ukraine and that relations between the two countries should be based on a “reliably regulated past and respect for each other’s sensitivities.”
“It is unimaginable for Polish hearts and the Polish soul to glorify a person who is synonymous with genocide for us,” said W. Kosiniak-Kamysz, adding that he will do everything possible to have V. Zelensky’s decision reversed.
Old wounds are reopening
This dispute has further strained relations between Warsaw and Kyiv, close allies since 2022, when Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Poland has been one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters, providing military, humanitarian, and political aid.
Read more Germany’s «Rheinmetall» sells its automotive division, will focus on the defense sector
However, historical disagreements over wartime killings in Volhynia have long caused tension between the two countries, reminds “TVP World”.
According to Polish historians, Ukrainian nationalists killed up to 100,000 civilians between 1943 and 1945.
Last week, when the controversial decision by V. Zelensky was first announced, top Polish politicians attacked V. Zelensky, and Polish nationalist President Karol Nawrocki stated that the Ukrainian leader should be stripped of the Polish state award given to him by Nawrocki’s predecessor.
Former President Andrzej Duda, a right-wing politician generally more supportive of Kyiv than K. Nawrocki, awarded V. Zelensky the highest Polish honor – the Order of the White Eagle – in 2023.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, condemning Ukraine’s decision, warned that stirring up historical tensions could benefit Moscow.
Ukraine considers UPA mainly an anti-Soviet, not anti-Polish organization
According to historians, between 1943 and 1945 Ukrainian nationalists killed 40–60 thousand Polish citizens in Volhynia, 20–40 thousand in Eastern Galicia, and at least 4 thousand in present-day Polish territory. According to the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, about 10–12 thousand Ukrainians were killed during Polish retaliatory operations until the spring of 1945.
The Polish-Ukrainian dispute over the historical role of the UPA has weighed on relations between the two countries for many years. While Poland holds it responsible for the mass killings of its citizens, Ukraine claims these events were part of a broader conflict for which both sides are responsible.
Ukraine also considers the UPA mainly an anti-Soviet, not anti-Polish organization.
