\n \n Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky<\/a> has returned Poland\u2019s highest state honor, after the Polish president stripped him of the award as a politically charged dispute over World War II history resurfaced.\n <\/p>\n \n Ukrainians believed the order \u201cwas meant for the Ukrainian People and our army,\u201d Zelensky wrote in a social media post explaining the gesture. \u201cToday, I sent the Order back to the President of Poland. I believe the future will confirm the respect Ukrainians deserve.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The message published on X is accompanied by photos of the Polish order and a postal receipt that it was about to be mailed to the Polish presidential office.\n <\/p>\n \n President Karol Nawrocki decided to strip Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle<\/a> over the Ukrainian leader\u2019s decision to name a military unit after a Ukrainian paramilitary organization accused of massacring Poles during WWII.\n <\/p>\n \n Former Polish President Andrzej Duda bestowed the award on Zelensky in 2023 for services to security, resilience and the defense of human rights.\n <\/p>\n \n Zelensky issued a decree on May 26 naming a unit of Ukraine\u2019s Special Operations Forces after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA, which operated during the 1940s and 1950s and has been accused in Poland of mass killings.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cFor the majority of Polish society, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army remains above all a formation responsible for cruel crimes against the citizens of the Polish Republic during World War II,\u201d Nawrocki said in a 13-minute address on social media.\n <\/p>\n \n The Ukrainian decree was met with widespread criticism in Poland, which has hosted millions of Ukrainian refugees and is a key supporter of Kyiv as it battled Russia\u2019s four-year invasion. However, Nawrocki is a nationalist politician<\/a> who has exploited anti-Ukrainian sentiment for electoral gain. Ukrainians in Poland have been facing increasing prejudice despite their contribution to the economy.\n <\/p>\n \n The decision to revoke the honor did not mean Poland\u2019s support for Ukraine in its defense against Russia would decrease, Nawrocki said.\n <\/p>\n \n Ukraine is grateful to Poland for its support, and would stay open to resolve historical differences with Poland, Zelensky wrote Saturday in his post. \u201cI am proud of our people and of EVERY Ukrainian warrior.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Ukrainian Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov wrote on Telegram that Nawrocki\u2019s decision was \u201can unfriendly act toward our people\u201d and \u201ca gift to the Moscow aggressor, which will certainly use it against both of our countries.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Four Ukrainian officials including Budanov said they would return state honors that Poland had issued them.\n <\/p>\n \n Some in Ukraine criticized the decision to return the Polish honors.\n <\/p>\n \n Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Ukraine\u2019s former prime minister, wrote on X that one \u201charmful and incorrect decision by the current president of Poland cannot be corrected by other incorrect decisions of ours.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Poland is scheduled to host a major event on Ukraine\u2019s postwar reconstruction next week, which Zelensky was expected to attend.\n <\/p>\n
\n Warsaw, Poland
\n <\/cite><\/p>\n![\"Poland's](\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/1de73f27-1bf9-46c3-9f91-87100df8cc7f.jpeg?q=h_1333,w_2000,x_0,y_0\/w_860\" "\\"\\"")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n Zelensky\u2019s move reopened old wounds in Poland
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