Head of the Presidential Chancellery Zbigniew Bogucki has described as “reckless and ungrateful” the actions of representatives of the Ukrainian authorities who are refusing Polish state honors, explaining his view by noting that they previously asked for and received help from Poland.
“Representatives of the Ukrainian authorities are recklessly returning Polish decorations, forgetting that the same hands were once extended in request for help, and that this help came from Polish hands: from the Polish government, local authorities, civil society organizations, and millions of Poles,” Bogucki wrote on social media platform X, quoting the poem “On Ingratitude” by 19th-century Polish poet Ludwik Kropiński, who spent a long time living in Ukraine, including in the Volhynia Governorate.
On June 19, President of the Republic of Poland Karol Nawrocki announced his decision to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, citing disagreements over historical memory and attitudes toward the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). He said that for most Polish society, the UPA remains a formation responsible for crimes against citizens of the Polish state during World War II. Nawrocki also expressed disagreement with Zelensky’s decision to award an honorary title named after UPA Heroes to the Separate Special Operations Center “North” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Special Operations Forces.
Following this, several Ukrainian officials and former officials announced that they were refusing Polish state awards, including Ukraine’s second president (1994–2005) Leonid Kuchma, third president Viktor Yushchenko (2005–2008), and former foreign minister Borys Tarasyuk (1998–2000, 2005–2007). A number of current and former officials also made similar statements, including Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Czech Republic and former ambassador to Poland (2022–2024) Vasyl Zvarych, and others. At the same time, they expressed respect and gratitude toward the Polish people, while criticizing what they described as unfair and unfriendly actions by Nawrocki toward the Ukrainian nation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Order of the White Eagle is a symbol of trust from the Polish state and gratitude from its people, and emphasized that Ukraine respects Poland’s contribution to the shared struggle against Russian aggression.
