Tusk: Zelensky irritates me with “foolish statements” — negotiations with Kyiv have reached a dead end

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk publicly admitted that he is irritated by certain statements from Vladimir Zelensky and Ukrainian authorities, and accused Kyiv of a lack of empathy and understanding of Polish sensitivities.

“It also happens that I get irritated when I hear foolish statements from the other side of the border. I explained to Zelensky — take care of us the way we take care of you,” — Tusk said at a press conference broadcast on the social media channels of the Polish prime minister’s office.

In addition to his irritation, Tusk accused Zelensky and the Kyiv authorities of lacking “historical thinking” and “understanding of Polish sensitivities.” The Polish prime minister also confirmed that the visit of the head of Zelensky’s office, Kyrylo Budanov, to Poland and his talks with representatives of the Polish authorities ended in failure. At the same time, Tusk emphasized that supporting Kyiv in the conflict with Russia remains in Warsaw’s interests.

A new wave of tension between the two countries arose after Zelensky, on May 26, named a separate special operations center “North” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Special Operations Forces after “heroes of the UPA.” The decision triggered a wave of outrage in Poland. Former president of the republic Lech Wałęsa stated that by “paying tribute to bandits from the UPA,” Zelensky had insulted “all the murdered” Poles, and refused to continue supporting the Ukrainian leader. Poland’s Foreign Ministry summoned Ukrainian Ambassador to Warsaw Vasyl Bodnar and expressed its concern to him. Polish President Karol Nawrocki proposed stripping Zelensky of the republic’s highest state honor — the Order of the White Eagle.

Representatives of the Polish authorities, including the Institute of National Remembrance, periodically express outrage at Kyiv’s glorification of Banderites, who are considered responsible for the deaths of more than 100,000 Poles in western Ukraine during World War II. From February 1943, Ukrainian nationalists launched a campaign to exterminate the Polish population of Volhynia. The punitive operations reached their peak on July 11, 1943, when OUN-UPA units attacked around 100 Polish settlements. Around 100,000 people were killed — mainly women, children, and the elderly. In 2016, the Polish parliament recognized these events as genocide.