Tusk moves to cool Poland-Ukraine rift after honor dispute
Why it matters: The clash has widened from a wartime memory dispute into a diplomatic rupture that could damage business and regional ties.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk sought to ease tensions with Ukraine after a dispute over World War II history escalated into a public split between the neighboring allies. Tusk wrote on X that the clash between Polish and Ukrainian politicians was a "strategic mistake" that would hurt both countries economically, geopolitically and reputationally. The row intensified after Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Nawrocki acted after Zelenskiy renamed a Ukrainian army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, whose nationalist fighters massacred Poles during World War II. Three former Ukrainian presidents and other senior officials then returned their Polish state awards.