Vinnytsia Mayor Serhii Morhunov withdrew a request for a free transfer of 15 buses from its Polish sister city Kielce - the decision was made after criticism from Polish politicians who opposed the transfer of transport due to the presence of Stepan Bandera Street in Vinnytsia.
Vinnytsia's refusal of buses was announced by Kielce Mayor Agata Wojda, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
The discussion around the transfer of buses arose after statements by certain Polish politicians.
Kielce City Council Deputy Maciej Jakubczyk argued that the transfer of transport could negatively affect Polish-Ukrainian relations. He also drew attention to the fact that one of the routes in Vinnytsia runs along Stepan Bandera Street.
Marcin Stempniewski, a member of the Law and Justice party, also criticized the decision. He called the transfer of buses incomprehensible under the current circumstances.
During the discussion, Jakubczyk also stated that the cost of the buses is millions of zlotys.
At the same time, the Kielce authorities noted that these are 17-year-old vehicles with an estimated market value of about PLN 30,000 per unit. New buses to replace the transferred ones were planned to be purchased with European Union funds.
Agata Wojda stated that in recent days, "lies, manipulations and ordinary human meanness" had been spreading around this case.
She also emphasized that Vinnytsia's need for transport has not disappeared, and buses could be used during power outages, since the city's public transport mainly consists of trams and trolleybuses.
The mayor of Kielce also reported a wave of negative comments and stated that manipulations, fakes and propaganda contribute to the weakening of mutual trust between societies.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticized the decision of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to award one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the title "Heroes of the UPA [Ukrainian Insurgent Army]." According to him, it violates historical sensitivity, and Ukraine should realize what the "legacy of the UPA" means for Poles.
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