On June 20th local time, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced on social media that he had returned the Polish highest national honor, the 'White Eagle Medal', to Polish President Janowicz.
It is reported that Zelenskyy received this medal in 2023, awarded by the then-Polish President Andrzej Duda. Recently, Navrotski decided to revoke it.
Photos of the delivery order released by Zelenykh
According to The Associated Press and The Washington Post, on June 20 local time, Zelenskyy posted photos of the logistics order on social media and wrote, "We believe that the 'White Eagle Medal' awarded in 2023 was given to the Ukrainian people and military. That's exactly what it was meant to be. Today, I returned this medal to the President of Poland. I believe that in the future, it will be proven that the Ukrainians deserve respect."
Zelensky also said: "Ukraine thanks the Polish people for their support and cooperation, which plays an important role in our independent struggle against Russia."
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Serhii Verkhovetskyi, President's Office Director Budanov, and Ambassador to Poland Bodnar announced that they will return the medals they received from Poland. Former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Pyotr Poroshenko announced on social media that they will relinquish the 'White Eagle Medals' they had received earlier.
The cause of this incident was an administrative order signed by Zelensky in late May, which designated a special unit of the Ukrainian army as the “Heroes of the Ukrainian Resistance”.
It is reported that “Ukrainian Resistance” is the name of a nationalist organization. This organization is accused of killing about 100,000 Polish civilians during World War II. In 2016, the Polish parliament deemed the crimes committed by “Ukrainian Resistance” to be genocide.
On June 19th, local time, Nafrozy spoke about this issue on social media. He said, "For most members of Polish society, the 'Ukrainian rebels' are first and foremost an organization that committed cruel crimes against Polish citizens during World War II."
He stated that Poland's decision to revoke the Zelenyj Medal was a ‘warning’. ‘There are some insurmountable boundaries in the relations between Poland and Ukraine.’
However, Navrotsky also pointed out that canceling this honor does not mean that Poland’s support for Ukraine in the Russo-Ukraine conflict will decrease. He said that Poland will continue to support Ukraine, because the Russian special military operations “pose a threat to Poland’s and even Europe’s security.”
According to reports, officials from both sides called for calmness and pointed out that there is cooperation between the two countries in many fields.
Polish Prime Minister Tusk posted on social media, "The conflict between Poland and Ukraine pleases Russian President Putin, and also shocks our allies. The task of Zelensky and Navrotsky is to calm the emotions, not to exacerbate tensions."
