Sybiha refuses Commander's Cross with Star - state award of Poland for Order of Merit to Republic of Poland

On June 19, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced his refusal of the Commander's Cross with a Star of the Order of Merit to Poland, which he was awarded in October 2022.

He published the decision on his Facebook page.

In his post, he also mentioned the decision of President Karol Nawrocki, who deprived Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.

"The decision to deprive the President of Ukraine of the Order of the White Eagle is a strategic mistake of the President of Poland, from which only Moscow benefits. We regret that emotions prevailed in Warsaw and forced Polish politicians to take unjustified, impulsive and contemptuous steps not even towards President Zelenskyy, but primarily towards the Ukrainian state. Against the background of such reckless actions, I see no opportunity to keep the high state award of the Republic of Poland, awarded to me in October 2022 - the Commander's Cross with the Star of the Order of Merit for Poland. I will soon return it to Poland," Sybiha commented on his decision.

Recall, Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced the deprivation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, which he was previously awarded by the former head of Polish state Andrzej Duda.

Why did the Polish President strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle?

The scandal erupted after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the Separate Special Operations Center "North" of the of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the honorary title "named after the Heroes of the UPA [Ukrainian Insurgent Army - ed.]" on May 26. The decree stated that the decision was made with the aim of restoring the historical traditions of the national army.

This decision caused a sharp reaction from Warsaw. In particular, Polish President Karol Nawrocki proposed to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the country's highest award - the Order of the White Eagle - in response to the decision to name one of the Ukrainian units after the name "Heroes of the UPA".

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized the decision of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to assign the title "Heroes of the UPA" to one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, it violates historical sensitivity, and Ukraine should realize what the "legacy of the UPA" means for Poles.

Former Polish President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa has announced that he will no longer support Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and is publicly removing the Ukrainian flag from his chest over the decision to name one of the Ukrainian units after the "Heroes of the UPA".

Former Polish President Andrzej Duda said that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the Order of the White Eagle from him at a different time and under different conditions. The final decision on revoking the order remains with the current head of state, Karol Nawrocki.

And the Head of the Bureau of International Policy of the President of Poland, Marcin Przydacz, said that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy should call Polish President Karol Nawrocki and apologize for the decision to name one of the military units after the "Heroes of the UPA".

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz appealed to the Ukrainian authorities to reconsider the decision to give one of the units of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the honorary title "after the Heroes of the UPA" and suggested honoring modern Ukrainian military personnel in a different way.

At the same time, well-known Polish public figures, journalists, artists and former figures of the democratic opposition have published an appeal on Polish-Ukrainian relations against the background of the situation surrounding the naming of the Special Operations Forces unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the "Heroes of the UPA". The appeal emphasizes that Poles and Ukrainians have a complex history of mutual grievances, many of which remain painful and not fully understood. At the same time, the authors warn against using historical topics to incite hostility between peoples.