The President of Poland has decided to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the “Order of the White Eagle”, Poland’s highest state decoration.
The decision, according to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, is not directed against the Ukrainian people and does not change Poland’s strategic security policy.
“I want to emphasize that this decision is not against the Ukrainian people. It does not change the strategic direction of Poland’s security policy. We have supported and continue to support Ukraine,” Nawrocki declared.
The reason for the removal of the decoration is related to Zelensky’s decision to name a special unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the “heroes of the UPA” (Ukrainian Insurgent Army).
In Poland, members of the UPA are accused of involvement in ethnic cleansing of Poles and war crimes during World War II, an issue that remains highly sensitive in Polish-Ukrainian relations.
Zelensky received the Order of the White Eagle in 2023 from former Polish President Andrzej Duda in recognition of his role in strengthening relations between Poland and Ukraine, as well as efforts in the fields of security, resistance and human rights protection. /Telegraph/