WARSAW, Poland (AP) 鈥� A to strip of Poland鈥檚 highest state honor was beneficial to Moscow, which has an interest in seeing Kyiv in conflict with its allies, Ukrainian officials said.
Nawrocki announced on Friday that he will strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle over the Ukrainian leader鈥檚 decision to name a military unit after a Ukrainian paramilitary organization accused of massacring Poles during World War II.
Former Polish President Andrzej Duda bestowed the award on Zelenskyy in 2023 for services to security, resilience and the defense of human rights.
Zelenskyy issued a decree on May 26 naming a military unit of Ukraine鈥檚 Special Operations Forces after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA, which operated during the 1940s and 1950s and has been accused in Poland of .
鈥淔or the majority of Polish society, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army remains above all a formation responsible for cruel crimes against the citizens of the Polish Republic during World War II,鈥� Nawrocki said in a 13-minute address on social media.
The decision to revoke the honor did not mean Poland鈥檚 support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia would decrease, Nawrocki said.
Ukrainian Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov wrote on Telegram that Nawrocki’s decision was 鈥渁n unfriendly act toward our people鈥� and 鈥渁 gift to the Moscow aggressor, which will certainly use it against both of our countries.鈥�
Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the decision 鈥渁 strategic mistake by the President of Poland, one that benefits only Moscow.鈥�
Ukraine鈥檚 ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar said the decision was 鈥渆specially painful鈥� as Ukrainians battle missile and drone attacks.
All three Ukrainian officials said they would return orders issued to them by the Polish state.
Poland is scheduled to host a major event on Ukraine鈥檚 postwar reconstruction next week, which Zelenskyy is expected to attend.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a political rival of Nawrocki, urged the two leaders to 鈥渃alm emotions, not stoke tensions.鈥�
鈥淭he front line runs elsewhere,鈥� Tusk wrote on social media Friday night, adding that the conflict between Poland and Ukraine 鈥渄elights Putin and shocks our allies.鈥�
Zelenskyy鈥檚 May decree said the designation was meant to restore the historical traditions of the national military and recognize the unit鈥檚 performance in defending Ukraine鈥檚 territorial integrity and independence.
The UPA fought for Ukrainian independence against both Nazi German and Soviet forces. But it has been accused of killing tens of thousands of Poles, most in the Nazi-occupied regions of Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. In 2016, the Polish Parliament recognized the crimes committed by UPA as genocide.
Ukrainians say armed formations on both sides, including the UPA and Polish underground forces, were involved in attacks and reprisals that led to large-scale civilian casualties among Poles and Ukrainians.
Poland and Ukraine had recently made progress on the issue of . A December meeting between the two presidents in Warsaw had signaled progress on historical reconciliation.
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Yurchuk reported from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
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