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2h ago

Poland Strips Zelensky of Order of the White Eagle Over UPA Unit Naming

The unprecedented step deepens a diplomatic rift with Kyiv, threatens Zelensky’s planned trip to the Gdańsk recovery conference, raises fears Moscow could exploit the split.

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks as he attends a joint press conference with Honduras' President Nasry Asfura (not pictured), amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 19, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
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Overview

  • Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced on Friday that he will revoke the Order of the White Eagle that was awarded to Volodymyr Zelensky in 2023.
  • Polish officials say the revocation still needs the prime minister’s signature to take full effect, leaving the move technically incomplete for now.
  • Ukraine condemned the decision as a “strategic mistake,” Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, and several top Ukrainian officials have said they will return Polish awards in protest.
  • Warsaw insists military and logistical support for Ukraine will continue, but the dispute has split Polish politics and public opinion and prompted Prime Minister Donald Tusk to call for calm.
  • The row began after Zelensky’s May decree naming a Special Operations unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a group linked in Poland to World War II massacres, a history that makes the issue especially sensitive and risks complicating reconstruction cooperation and regional security.