Troubled relations between Poland and Ukraine.

A political storm is sweeping across Poland and Ukraine over long-standing, unresolved historical tensions. It also serves as a reminder of the sweeping shifts in Kyiv's wartime nationalism that could severely impact diplomatic relations, even with close partners.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (left) and Ukrainian President Zelensky signed a memorandum of understanding on defense production cooperation in 2024.

Revisiting the past

In late May, citing the restoration of the national army's historical traditions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree awarding the honorary title of Hero of the Ukrainian Resistance Army (UPA) to an elite special forces unit.

While Ukraine views the UPA as fighters for independence, Poland has a less than favorable memory of this force.

It is known that after the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, the UPA was formed to fight for an independent Ukrainian state. To expel Poles from territories claimed by Ukraine, the UPA committed war crimes against civilians, including massacres in Volhynia (1943-1945) and Eastern Galicia, the region now divided between Poland and Ukraine.

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The number of victims in the massacres perpetrated by the UPA during World War II, which Poland calls genocide, is estimated to be over 100,000. Kyiv says thousands of Ukrainians also died in retaliatory killings.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry insisted that the new name was not aimed at Poland and was merely a symbolic gesture to protest Russia, but President Zelensky's decision sparked intense outrage in Warsaw.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki even suggested revoking the prestigious Order of the White Eagle that his country awarded to Zelensky in 2023.

When Russia launched its military campaign against Ukraine in February 2022, disputes between Poland and Ukraine over the past were temporarily set aside. Under former Polish President Andrzej Duda, a military alliance with Ukraine was even considered a top priority in foreign policy.

Not only did Warsaw receive over 1 million Ukrainian refugees, but its military and political support also contributed significantly to Ukraine's success in halting the advance of Russian forces in the early stages of the war.

The shadow of modern diplomacy

However, the situation has now taken a negative turn as the right wing continuously criticizes the social welfare system for Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Exploiting public discontent, President Nawrocki, during his 2025 election campaign, has also questioned Warsaw's continued military support for Kyiv and Ukraine's chances of joining the European Union. He has also pledged not to ratify any decision to admit Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to avoid provoking Russia.

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The recent controversy partly illustrates the reality that the warm phase in Polish-Ukrainian relations may have come to an end.

MAI QUYEN (According to DW, TVP World)

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/truc-trac-quan-he-ba-lan-ukraine-a206738.html