A group of Polish activists announced the creation of the "Civil Order of the Future", which they propose to honor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainians.
This is reported by the Polish-Ukrainian online magazine Sestry.eu.
The proposal appeared after President Karol Nawrocki decided to withdraw the Order of the White Eagle from Zelenskyy. The reason for this was given as the assignment of the title "Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army" to one of the Ukrainian military units.
The text of the initiative recalls that in 2023 Poland awarded the Order of the White Eagle to Zelenskyy and Ukrainians in recognition of their participation in countering russian aggression.
Separately, the authors state that the current political discussions in Poland are related to the pre-election period and the topic of the Volyn tragedy of 1943. They also mention the use of historical issues in the internal political struggle.
The appeal claims that part of the responsibility for the aggravation of the information background lies with Polish political rhetoric, and not with the statements of the Ukrainian side.
The activists position the initiative as a public one and note that its goal is to support cooperation between Poles and Ukrainians. They also mention humanitarian actions in support of Ukraine, in particular, raising funds for energy equipment for Ukrainian cities.
The initiative to establish the award was signed by:
- Adam Michnik - one of the most famous Polish publicists, long-time editor-in-chief of Gazeta Wyborcza, a dissident during the Polish People's Republic.
- Róża Thun - politician, former member of the European Parliament. She worked in European institutions.
- Janina Ochojska - founder of Polish Humanitarian Action. A well-known humanitarian who works with issues of assistance during wars and crises.
What is known about the decision of the Polish side regarding Zelenskyy
On June 19, Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced the deprivation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle - the highest state award of Poland, which the Ukrainian President received from Andrzej Duda.
As reported, this decision was preceded by a decree by Volodymyr Zelenskyy on awarding the Separate Special Operations Center "North" of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with an honorary title in honor of the Heroes of the UPA.
Following Warsaw's decision, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Head of the Defense Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, and Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar also decided to renounce their Polish awards.
The second President Leonid Kuchma, the third President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko, and the fifth President Petro Poroshenko announced their refusal to receive the Polish Order of the White Eagle after Polish President Karol Nawrotsky stripped Volodymyr Zelensky of this award.
On June 20, Volodymyr Zelensky announced the sending of the Order of the White Eagle to Warsaw and noted that in 2023 he received this award on behalf of the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian army.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki explained the decision to revoke the Order of the White Eagle from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stating that the "pain threshold" of Polish society had been exceeded.
The Order of the White Eagle is not revoked posthumously, so the award remains with Benito Mussolini and Catherine II, and the actions of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder are not grounds for revoking the award.
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