Zelensky returned the Order of the White Eagle to Poland’s president via Nova Poshta

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had sent the Order of the White Eagle, with which he was awarded in 2023, to Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

The corresponding post appeared on Zelensky’s Facebook page, with an attached photo of a Nova Poshta receipt.

“Today I sent the order to Mr. President of Poland. I think the future will confirm respect for Ukrainians,” Zelensky wrote.

The Ukrainian president also commented on the list of other recipients of the award.

“If it is considered that this special symbol can remain with Catherine the Second, Benito Mussolini, and Gerhard Schröder, then we in Ukraine will not argue with that,” Zelensky wrote.

The reason for returning the order was Nawrocki’s decision to strip Zelensky of the award. The Polish president announced this during events marking the National Day of the Silesian Uprisings.

“We know what war is, we know what the struggle for independence is, we know what the post-Soviet, and today the Russian, threat is. But we are a proud Polish nation and have our own threshold of pain on matters that concern us and our allies. And that threshold of pain was exceeded, which is why I stripped President Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle,” Nawrocki stated.

Nawrocki made this decision after one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units was named after the “Heroes of the UPA.” Polish authorities accuse the UPA of genocide against Poles.

The diplomatic conflict over Polish awards also affected other Ukrainian officials. Foreign Minister Sybiha renounced the Polish Commander’s Cross in protest against Nawrocki’s actions. Following him, Office of the President chief Kyrylo Budanov renounced the Order of Merit to Poland, calling the Polish president’s actions “an unfriendly act toward our people.”