Subsequently, his predecessors in the office stood up for Zelenský. Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko and Zelensky’s political opponent Petro Poroshenko returned the Polish award.
Zelenskyj at the center of the Polish political struggle?
The President of Ukraine claims that they tried to explain to the Poles that the honorary title Heroes of the UPA was chosen by the unit itself, and he, as the president, could not dismiss a similar request from the soldiers who defend the country.
He also told the television that his Polish colleague is doing what Viktor Orbán did in his time – he is trying to make political capital by radicalizing sentiments against Ukraine.
“Hatred in society leads to ratings. This is a political fight, but it can end badly. I think you cannot earn political dividends from hatred,” he said, adding that during the first meeting with Nawrocky after he became the head of state last year, the Polish counterpart gave him a book about the Volyn tragedy while shaking hands.
However, Nawrocki, who headed the Polish Institute of National Remembrance before running for president, claims that the dispute with Ukraine is not related to Poland’s internal political struggle.
“All patriots understand the crimes committed by Ukrainian nationalists on Polish soil. What dramatic moments those were. The dispute concerns the perception of historical issues and the fact that we do not accept the red-black Bandera flag in Poland,” Polsat Nawrocký TV.
Parliamentary elections will take place in Poland next year. According to current reports, Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition would win with 33 percent of the vote.
Ukrainian card
In its Monday editorial, the Ukrainian daily reminded that Polish politicians have long been using the so-called the Ukrainian question. He pointed out that criticism of Ukraine, the UPA, or bringing up historical controversial figures, such as Stepan Bandera, traditionally appear in the campaigns of Polish right-wing politicians.
At the same time, he writes that not only the ultra-right is playing the Ukrainian card, and Nawrocký’s radical step towards Zelensky can be a tool in this politician’s rivalry with Prime Minister Tusk. If Tusk did not sufficiently support criticism of Ukraine, opponents may accuse him of being “pro-Ukrainian”, which, according to the European Truth, means only one thing in contemporary Poland – stigma.
The diary brings one important context closer – when Nawrocki signed the decree to strip Zelensky of the award, it was not just about “punishing” his Ukrainian counterpart. The main goal was probably to present the decree to Tusk for signature. Tusk himself took a conciliatory tone in the dispute – pointing out that Moscow is benefiting from the Polish-Ukrainian diplomatic conflict and calling on both presidents to temper their passions.
Every day without a signature, according to the European Truth, he gave Nawrocké an excuse to attack the prime minister. This is also why Zelensky’s decision to return the award to Warsaw was correct, according to the newspaper, as it relieved Tusk of the political necessity to sign this document.
The Prime Minister will go to Gdansk
“Another thing is that the order did not have to be sent by Nova Poshta, there are other ways,” wrote the newspaper, which also explained why it is important for the Ukrainian president to travel to Gdańsk this week for an international conference on the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.
“The worst thing that could be done now is to burn bridges with Nawrocky,” he wrote, recalling the importance of a strategic partner such as its western neighbor for Ukraine.
So far, there is no indication that the leaders of the two countries will reconcile in the near future.
During the weekend, Kyiv signaled that Zelensky’s participation in the conference has yet to be decided. On Tuesday, Ukrainian Prime Minister Julija Svyrydenková finally announced that she would lead the Ukrainian delegation. In the meantime, Nawrocký’s office reported that Kyiv canceled the agreed meeting between the two leaders in Warsaw last week at the last minute.
However, Polish journalist Dariusz Materniak reminds us that there is a way out of every crisis. “The first thing to do is to look for de-escalation solutions. So to speak, to reduce the temperature of emotions, because they are great on both sides. Unfortunately, we do not see common points. We see two monologues instead of one dialogue. This needs to be changed,” he assessed for Ukrainian.
We remind you that Poland functions as a logistics hub through which humanitarian and military aid flows to Ukraine. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians live in Poland, who are an important driving force of the Polish economy.
