Poland revoked Zelensky’s top honor over WWII army-name dispute
Why it matters: The clash strains one of Kyiv’s key wartime alliances as Ukraine pushes for EU membership talks.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked Volodymyr Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state honor, after Ukraine named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA. The move deepened a historical dispute between neighboring allies that has flared despite Poland’s strong backing for Ukraine against Russia. Many Ukrainians view the UPA as a force that fought for independence, while Poland holds it responsible for massacres of ethnic Poles in Volhynia during World War II. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called Warsaw’s decision a strategic mistake. Nawrocki said support for Ukraine’s war effort would continue, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged both sides to calm tensions.