Polish President Nawrocki revokes Zelenskiy's 'White Eagle' order

Polish President Karol Nawrocki made statements regarding the crisis with Ukraine in a video message shared on his social media account. Nawrocki, who reacted to the naming of a unit in the Ukrainian army with a name linked to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), emphasized that this step has significance beyond Ukraine's internal affairs. He stated that they conveyed their sensitivities on this issue to the Kyiv administration and announced that due to the lack of change in the Ukrainian side's stance and Zelenskiy's approval of the naming decision, he decided to revoke the country's highest state order, the 'White Eagle', which was awarded in 2023.

Recalling that the Polish Parliament recognized the crimes committed by the UPA as 'genocide', Nawrocki noted that at least 100,000 defenseless Polish civilians were massacred by the UPA during World War II. He argued that the decision harms the mutual trust built and that Ukraine must confront the difficult pages of its history in its process of joining European structures, stating, “Europe is built on the rejection of totalitarian regimes and the culture of violence. These principles must apply to everyone. There can be no place in the European Union for those who do not understand this, and Poland will certainly not allow it.”

Recalling that Poland provided humanitarian, political, and military support to Ukraine following Russia's attacks in 2022, Nawrocki emphasized that the decision to revoke the order is not directed at the Ukrainian people. He stated that Russia continues to pose a threat to European security and that they will continue to support Ukraine's sovereignty, underlining that disputes between the two countries will only serve Russia's interests.