Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has returned his Order of the White Eagle to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, following Nawrocki’s move to strip the Ukrainian leader of Poland’s highest state decoration. The decision to revoke the award stemmed from Ukraine naming a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a group many in Poland hold responsible for mass killings during World War II. Former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko have also renounced their own Polish state awards in solidarity.
Why the award was revoked
The diplomatic friction originated on May 26, when President Zelenskyy granted the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA” to a unit within the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. President Nawrocki announced the decision to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle on Friday, stating in a video address that the move was not directed against the Ukrainian people or Poland’s strategic security policy. For many in Poland, the UPA is a symbol of historical atrocities, while in Ukraine, it is frequently viewed as a symbol of the struggle for independence.
The Order of the White Eagle is Poland’s oldest and highest decoration, historically serving as a symbol of the highest trust and a special connection between the recipient and the Polish state.
The response from Ukrainian leadership
President Zelenskyy documented the return of the medal via social media, posting photos of the award and a shipping receipt from the private delivery service Nova Poshta. In his statement, Zelenskyy argued that if the order is considered a symbol of values that can be associated with figures like Catherine II, Benito Mussolini, or Gerhard Schröder, then he prefers not to hold it. Former President Leonid Kuchma, who received the award in 1997, expressed “sadness and anxiety,” noting that while he prioritized Polish-Ukrainian friendship during his term, he felt compelled to return the honor. Similarly, Viktor Yushchenko and Petro Poroshenko cited the need to defend the dignity of the Ukrainian state and its people against what they characterized as an erroneous decision by the Polish side.
The choice to use a private courier service, Nova Poshta, rather than a state-run postal system, acts as a symbolic gesture of support for a company that has faced repeated Russian missile strikes. This move serves to align the Ukrainian leadership with a key piece of national logistics infrastructure that has become a target of the ongoing war, subtly reinforcing the narrative that the conflict with Poland is a secondary distraction from the primary front line.
What may happen next
The future of the award revocation depends on Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who must approve the measure for it to take legal effect. Tusk has publicly urged restraint, noting on social media that the conflict between the two nations risks benefiting common adversaries and alarming international allies. Whether President Zelenskyy will attend the upcoming conference on Ukrainian reconstruction in Gdańsk remains uncertain; sources suggest his participation may be limited to a remote format, such as a video address. Analysts expect that the cooling of diplomatic ties will likely persist until a formal mechanism for addressing historical grievances, such as the exhumation of victims from the Volhynia events, is revisited by both governments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Poland decide to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle?
The decision followed Zelenskyy’s May 26 move to name a Ukrainian military unit after the UPA, an organization viewed in Poland as responsible for wartime massacres.
Who else has renounced their Polish awards?
Former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko have publicly declared they are giving up their own Polish state decorations in protest of the decision.
Is the decision to revoke the award final?
It is not yet finalized; the move requires approval from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has signaled that the current tensions are damaging and counterproductive.
How might this diplomatic rift influence the ongoing cooperation between Kyiv and Warsaw regarding post-war security guarantees?
