War is not the best time for Kyiv and Warsaw to engage in discussions about their complex history. Poland should not treat Ukraine in a paternalistic manner.
This view was expressed by former Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz in an interview with Ukrinform.
“Poland should leave some room for negotiation. War is not the best time for Ukraine to engage in discussions about complex historical contexts. Today, Ukraine is fighting for its very existence, sovereignty, and statehood, and it seems to me that there is not enough understanding of this situation in Poland. Instead, we are seeing an attempt on Poland’s part—which I strongly criticize—to take advantage of Ukraine’s difficult situation to force it to change its stance on historical issues. “We cannot treat Ukraine paternalistically, because Ukraine is a strong state with an army of nearly a million soldiers. Therefore, the idea that Poland can impose anything on it is a major misunderstanding,” Czaputowicz emphasized.
According to the former head of Polish diplomacy, President Karol Nawrocki chose the wrong tool to influence Ukraine by initiating proceedings to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Polish state award—the Order of the White Eagle.
“The revocation of the award should never have been considered at all. Diplomatic measures could have been taken: summoning the ambassador or submitting a note of protest to express concern, drawing attention to the issue, or using other mechanisms of influence. Instead, the chosen method is inappropriate and, in my opinion, will not yield a positive result,” the Polish expert noted.
In his view, Poland should have cooperated more actively with Ukraine earlier, particularly regarding the complex history, yet President Karol Nawrocki has still not visited Kyiv at the invitation of the Ukrainian side.
“Instead, it is necessary to engage in dialogue, deepen mutual understanding and cooperation, in order to calmly foster awareness of the complex chapters of history and gradually move toward reconciliation,” Czaputowicz emphasized.
He noted that Poland suffered far greater losses at the hands of Germany, but despite this, Warsaw managed to build allied and friendly relations with Berlin.
“This path awaits both the Polish and Ukrainian peoples,” Czaputowicz expressed his conviction.
At the same time, the former Polish Foreign Minister stressed that the decision by the President of Ukraine to name one of the Ukrainian units after the “Heroes of the UPA” caused genuine pain in Polish society.
“For many Poles, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) is associated first and foremost with the Volhynia tragedy and the mass killings of Poles. I am convinced that the word ‘pain’ is entirely appropriate here,” he noted.
As a reminder, the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle presented its proposals to Karol Nawrocki regarding the initiative to potentially strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of this award, and he will make a decision on this matter at the “appropriate time.”
Czaputowicz is convinced that Nawrocki has taken a step backward in the context of his initiative to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle.
Earlier, on May 27, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky bestowed the honorary title “in the name of the Heroes of the UPA” upon the “North” Special Operations Center of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned this decision.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Heorhii Tykhyi stated that the history of the Polish and Ukrainian peoples contains both glorious and tragic chapters, but honoring the heroes of the UPA had no anti-Polish undertones.
Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, visited Warsaw last weekend, where he held meetings at the Chancellery of the President of Poland and the Council of Ministers of Poland regarding tensions in Ukrainian-Polish relations stemming from their complex history.
Photo: Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
