Poland and Ukraine’s escalating diplomatic feud deepened on Monday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned Poland’s highest state honour, the Order of the White Eagle, in protest over its revocation following Kyiv’s decision to name a military unit after the controversial Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

Zelenskyy announced on Saturday that he had sent the award back to Warsaw, calling the move by Polish President Karol Nawrocki a politically motivated act that stokes anti-Ukrainian sentiment ahead of Poland’s 2027 parliamentary elections. In a statement, Zelenskyy accused Nawrocki of following the playbook of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, warning that such tactics “will end badly.”

The dispute centres on Kyiv’s decision to honour the UPA, a nationalist formation whose fighters are accused by Polish historians of carrying out massacres against Polish civilians during World War II. Nawrocki revoked the award on 19 June, a decision Zelenskyy called a “moral victory” for Poland but one that threatens to overshadow broader cooperation, including the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk.

Before the award was returned, Ukrainian officials had sought to resolve the dispute directly. Zelenskyy revealed on Monday that Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov and former ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar had travelled to Warsaw in an attempt to clarify Kyiv’s position and prevent the escalation.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has been mediating between the two sides, acknowledged the difficulty of the situation. “This is no easy task,” Tusk told reporters, as he urged both capitals to look beyond the current crisis and focus on future relations.

The Polish presidency has sought to justify its decision by pointing to the continued possession of the Order of the White Eagle by controversial historical figures such as Benito Mussolini, Catherine the Great, and former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Polish officials argue that the award is not automatically revoked for past recipients, even those with contested legacies.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy also warned of an imminent Russian offensive and issued an ultimatum to Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, demanding the removal of alleged Russian drone-guidance equipment near the Ukrainian border within a week or face unspecified consequences.

As tensions rise, Polish MP Urszula Pasławska of the PSL coalition urged both sides to move forward, describing the award revocation as a “moral victory” but stressing the need to prioritise future cooperation, particularly at the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

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Articles

Zelensky said that Budanov and Kyslytsia went to Poland to resolve the issue with the order #Europe

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