Full Breakdown
Zelensky Announces Steps to Repair Ukraine-Poland Rift Over UPA Honour
7/18/2026, 1:15:40 AM
Diplomatic Initiative to Repair Ties
On 17 July 2024 President Volodymyr Zelensky chaired a senior-official meeting focused on relations with Poland. He outlined five commitments aimed at easing the diplomatic fallout from his May decision to name a Ukrainian army unit after the World-War-II Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). The agenda included expanding dialogue formats, declassifying intelligence archives, issuing permits for further exhumations of Polish victims, and strengthening the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance. Zelensky framed the effort as essential to “good-neighbourly, equal, and mutually beneficial relations” and linked Poland’s wartime support to Ukraine’s security.
Historical Dispute Over the Volhynia Massacres
The UPA, a nationalist partisan force, is celebrated by many Ukrainians as a symbol of resistance against Nazi and Soviet occupiers. Poland, however, classifies the UPA’s actions in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia (1943-45) as mass killings of 70,000-100,000 ethnic Poles, labeling the events genocide. Ukraine disputes the genocide label, describing the killings as part of a broader struggle for an independent state. The divergent narratives have fueled diplomatic tension, especially after Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle in June 2024.
Key Commitments: Archives, Exhumations, Institutional Support
Zelensky announced that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Foreign Intelligence Service will open all files related to the Volhynia massacres, a long-sought demand from Warsaw. A “substantial” number of permits for new exhumation projects will be issued, with joint Ukrainian-Polish coordination to increase capacity. Additionally, Oleksandr Alfiorov, head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, will receive expanded resources to enhance the institute’s work on historical remembrance.
Official Statements & Responses
Zelensky emphasized that European security “can only be resolved through cooperation” and thanked Poland for its “significant support” after Russia’s 2022 invasion. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed readiness for “serious and friendly dialogue” on shared and divisive issues. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the revocation of the White Eagle a “strategic mistake” and stressed that the dispute is “not about medals, but about respect.” Nawrocki later clarified that his action was “not against the Ukrainian people” and did not signal a shift in Poland’s overall support for Ukraine.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The priorities are clear: All of us in Europe need good neighbourly, equal, and mutually beneficial relations built on respect,” — Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
- “We are ready for a serious and friendly dialogue on the issues that unite us and those that divide us today,” — Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland
- “This is not about medals, but about respect,” — Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Foreign Minister
- “not against the Ukrainian people” — Karol Nawrocki, President of Poland (statement on revoking the White Eagle)
- “The security challenges facing Europe today can only be resolved through cooperation,” — Volodymyr Zelensky, post-meeting remarks
