Polish President Karol Nawrocki has given his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky a reprieve to reconsider his decision to name a military unit in honor of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), writes Rzeczpospolita.
This is in practice a diplomatic ultimatum, tied to the possible withdrawal of Poland's highest state award - the Order of the White Eagle.
At the end of May 2026, Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree granting the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA“ to the Separate Center for Special Operations “North“. In Poland, the activities of the UPA during World War II are associated with the mass murder of tens of thousands of Poles, known as the Volhynia Massacre.
President Nawrocki reacted sharply and immediately turned to the Jury (Chapter) of the order with a request to revoke the award, which was awarded to Zelensky in 2023.
On June 8, 2026, the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle met in Warsaw and delivered its official statement to the president. It is not public, but according to information it supports Nawrocki's position. The presidential office confirmed that Nawrocki will not make a final decision before his return from his visit to the United States.
The spokesman for the Polish president, Rafal Leszkiewicz, announced that Poland was deliberately giving Ukraine time to change its position. He stated directly: “President Nawrocki said exactly what he would do if President Zelensky did not change his mind. We cannot accept such a situation“.
Polish authorities have described this period as a “educational time“ for the international community on the subject.
According to polls in Poland, between 52% and 59% of Poles support Zelenskiy's idea to strip him of the order over this historic dispute.
Although Nawrocki has the right to initiate the procedure, under the Polish constitution the final decree to strip him of a state award also requires a countersignature (signature) from Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Tusk initially criticized Nawrocki, but later said he fully understood his strong reaction to Kiev's decision.