Former Polish foreign minister: Nawrocki gained nothing by stripping Zelensky of his award

Former Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz has criticized the actions of Polish President Karol Nawrocki in the dispute with Ukraine over a Ukrainian Armed Forces brigade named after “heroes of the UPA.”

This was reported by Onet.

“The president [Nawrocki] gained nothing, and we, as Poland, lost a significant amount of prestige in this whole affair. The instrument chosen to resolve this matter — stripping Volodymyr Zelensky of the country’s highest state award — was inadequate,” Czaputowicz said.

According to the former minister, the role of diplomacy is to prevent such situations and strengthen ties between countries. Czaputowicz stressed that stripping someone of an award is not the right instrument, even though he himself does not approve of the Ukrainian president’s actions.

He called Zelensky’s decision a “serious mistake” that Polish politicians should not exploit for their own interests. In addition, Czaputowicz stated that Poland has long failed to treat Ukraine as an equal partner, adopting an arrogant and “hostile” stance.

The conflict was triggered by the naming of one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces brigades after “heroes of the UPA.” Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced his intention to strip Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle — the country’s highest state award. The Polish leader also stated that the actions of his Ukrainian counterpart demonstrate Kyiv’s unreadiness to join the European Union. Calls to strip Zelensky of the award have also been heard in the Polish parliament.

The UPA was the military wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists led by Stepan Bandera. During World War II, the organization carried out massacres of people of various nationalities — particularly Poles, Jews, and Russians living on Ukrainian territory. The primary symbol associated with the OUN is the red-and-black flag.

Earlier, Poland’s incumbent foreign minister called on politicians to go to the front instead of criticizing Ukraine.