Zelensky announces opening of Volyn archives and expansion of dialogue with Poland

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 17 announced a series of decisions aimed at normalizing relations with Poland — including the full opening of SBU and Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service archives related to the tragic events in Volhynia in the 20th century.

This was reported by polsatnews.pl.

According to Zelensky, the decisions were made at a special meeting devoted to Ukraine’s policy toward Poland. The parties agreed on several concrete steps: to take decisions on the diplomatic track; to open all SBU and Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service archives relating to the tragic events of the 20th century in Volhynia; to significantly increase the number of permits for search and exhumation work and to carry it out jointly with the Polish side; and to activate formats for expanding people-to-people dialogue between the two countries.

Zelensky also instructed that the capabilities of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory be strengthened. Its director, Oleksandr Alferov, was tasked with preparing comprehensive proposals. The Verkhovna Rada and the relevant committee were recommended to consider increasing funding and support for the institute.

“We are grateful to Poland. Protecting Ukraine’s independence directly strengthens Poland’s independence, and the current security challenges in Europe can only be overcome through the cooperation of the free peoples of our region,” Zelensky said.

Poland’s reaction

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded positively to the Ukrainian president’s statements.

“I receive with satisfaction and hope the words and decisions of Volodymyr Zelensky concerning relations between our states, which must be built on mutual respect and truth. We are ready for a serious and friendly dialogue both on the issues that unite us and on those that remain a subject of disagreement today,” the Polish prime minister said.

Context: the UPA and the deterioration of relations

Zelensky’s statements came several weeks after a deterioration in Polish-Ukrainian relations. The trigger was the Ukrainian president’s decision to grant one of the military units the honorary name “Heroes of the UPA.” In Poland, this move drew sharp criticism from both the government and the president.

Following this, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of the country’s highest state honor — the Order of the White Eagle. In response, several prominent Ukrainian politicians, including former presidents, renounced their Polish state awards.

The Volyn tragedy

The Volyn tragedy remains one of the most painful issues in Polish-Ukrainian relations. Since 2017, Ukraine had maintained a ban on the search for and exhumation of the remains of Polish victims. In November 2024, Warsaw and Kyiv agreed to lift the moratorium, after which the work was resumed. In June, the second phase of searches for Poles killed by formations of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) got underway. According to historians’ estimates, between 40,000 and 100,000 Polish civilians perished during the events in Volhynia.