Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced on May 29, 2026 [2], his intention to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle.
The move signals a deepening diplomatic rift between two key allies over historical grievances and the perceived glorification of wartime atrocities.
The Order of the White Eagle is Poland's highest state honor [1]. Nawrocki said the decision follows Ukraine's choice to rename a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, known as the UPA. The UPA was a World War II nationalist group accused of massacring Poles.
Nawrocki said that honoring a unit named after the UPA compromises historical truth. He said that such actions provide Russian propaganda with "ample oxygen for disinformation" [3]. The Polish president said, "We cannot allow the glorification of those who committed crimes against Poles" [4].
Reports on the current status of the honor vary. Some sources indicate Poland has already stripped Zelensky of the award, while others state Nawrocki wants a state body to discuss the revocation [5].
The UPA remains a point of intense contention between Warsaw and Kyiv. Poland views the group's actions during the 1940s as genocide, while some Ukrainian narratives frame the UPA as fighters for independence against Soviet and Nazi occupation. Nawrocki said the glorification of these forces aids Russian narratives by creating internal divisions within the European alliance [3].
“"We cannot allow the glorification of those who committed crimes against Poles."”
This diplomatic friction highlights the fragility of the Poland-Ukraine partnership when historical memory clashes with current security needs. By targeting Zelensky's highest state honor, Poland is leveraging symbolic diplomacy to force a reckoning over the UPA's legacy. This internal European tension potentially benefits Russia, as the Kremlin frequently uses these historical disputes to undermine Western unity and portray Ukraine as a harbor for far-right nationalism.
