This week, the European Parliament may vote on an amendment to a resolution on Ukraine, in which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to name an elite unit of the Special Operations Forces after the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) is described as "an unnecessary and unprovoked escalation" in relations between Kyiv and Warsaw.
Deutsche Welle reports on this.
The amendment to the resolution was tabled on behalf of the European People’s Party (EPP) by the EP’s rapporteur on Ukraine, German MEP Michael Gahler, and Polish MEP Andrzej Halicki.
"The European Parliament expresses regret over the disregard for Polish sensitivities and grief regarding the victims of the UPA, whose number is estimated at tens of thousands, and their families, especially given Poland’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression,” the amendment to the European Parliament’s resolution on the European Commission’s 2025 report on Ukraine states; the resolution is scheduled to be put to a vote on Wednesday, July 8, during the plenary session.
It also notes that Zelenskyy’s decision undermines good-neighborly relations with Poland and all previous efforts “aimed at overcoming unresolved and painful aspects of bilateral historical relations in the spirit of genuine and sincere reconciliation, and is inconsistent with European values.” Therefore, the EP calls for “de-escalation and the resumption of good-faith efforts toward reconciliation.”
The Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, which is the second-largest political force in the European Parliament after the EPP, has also tabled a virtually identical amendment, to the text of which only a sentence has been added regarding the importance of good-neighborly relations between Ukraine and Poland, especially against the backdrop of russia’s aggressive war.
DW notes that the fact that the two largest political groups in the European Parliament have tabled nearly identical amendments may increase the likelihood that at least one of them will be supported. However, the amendments may be withdrawn or amended before the vote on the resolution text.
It is worth noting that the resolution’s co-author, Polish MEP Andrzej Halicki, is a member of Tusk’s governing coalition, which takes a more moderate stance toward Zelenskyy’s policy of glorifying the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). In contrast, representatives of the Polish opposition in the European Parliament are demanding an even tougher response—the adoption of a resolution “on honoring the victims of the genocide committed by the UPA” and the holding of a separate debate on this topic.
As is well known, the presidential decree naming the Special Operations Center “after the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)” sparked an international scandal. In response to this move, Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced that he was stripping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the country’s highest honor—the Order of the White Eagle. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also stated that the name “Heroes of the UPA [Ukrainian Insurgent Army]” for the Special Operations Forces unit undermines dialogue with Ukraine.
Poland also refused to provide Ukraine with the MiG-29 fighter jets it had previously promised.
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