Poland, Ukraine seek to ease wartime history tensions in Warsaw talks
Poland and Ukraine sought to ease tensions over their disputed wartime history during talks in Warsaw on Friday, saying that truth, respect and remembrance of victims remain central to bilateral relations, Poland’s foreign ministry said.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha met amid renewed friction triggered in May, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded an army unit the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA.” The title is a reference to fighters of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), whom Kiev honours for their resistance against Soviet rule after World War II.
From Kiev’s perspective, the UPA fought for Ukraine’s independence. In Poland, however, it is associated with the killings of tens of thousands of Poles in 1944 under German occupation in what is now western Ukraine.
The move sparked anger in Poland, with President Karol Nawrocki revoking Zelensky’s highest Polish award, escalating the dispute despite government reservations.
Sybiha said he proposed crisis-management measures, including foreign ministry consultations, talks between historians and involvement of church leaders. He also confirmed that Polish experts could continue searching for burial sites in western Ukraine’s Volhynia region.
He maintained Kiev’s position, saying each side must respect the other’s history and independence.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday that good bilateral relations were in both countries’ interests but required “reciprocity” from Kiev, adding that it could not be the case that only Warsaw shows goodwill.
