Order for renaming UPA regiment: Polish president gave Zelenskyy a few days to resolve the conflict
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has taken a diplomatic pause in the high-profile case regarding the revocation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's highest state award. The Polish leader gave the Ukrainian side a limited time to change the name of the controversial military unit before the decision to revoke the order becomes final.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: AP Photo / Markus Schreiber
The behind-the-scenes of this political step is written about by the publication "Rzeczpospolita". According to journalists, a meeting of the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle took place on June 8, but its recommendations were never published.
According to sources in the presidential palace, this silence is a deliberate creation of a "window of opportunity" for Kyiv.
The only condition that could persuade Nawrocki to abandon the revocation of the award, bestowed by his predecessor Andrzej Duda, is the change of the name of the Ukrainian military unit from "Heroes of UPA" to any other.
This time given for consideration is not unlimited and is measured in days rather than weeks.
By delaying the decree, Karol Nawrocki also seeks to demonstrate that he is not driven by emotions in international crises, a charge often leveled against him by politicians from the ruling camp. The administration's strategy was quite openly stated by the Head of the Bureau of International Policy, Marcin Przydacz, who emphasized that the ball is now in Ukraine's court.
If there is no positive reaction, the procedure will inevitably conclude with an appropriate presidential decision. A similar pragmatic approach is shared by the Polish government.
Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that such a step offers a chance for compromise, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk directly called on the leaders of the two states for understanding.
Attempts to sound out the ground for compromise are already being made. Last week, Poland was visited by one of Zelenskyy's closest associates, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kyrylo Budanov. He held meetings with representatives of the president, the head of the Ministry of Defense, and Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki, but the visit was primarily exploratory and has not yet yielded concrete results.
The final point in this diplomatic drama may be set shortly after Karol Nawrocki's return from the USA. His visit, during which meetings with Donald Trump and representatives of the Polish diaspora are planned, will last until Tuesday. If, by then, Kyiv does not offer any real concessions on the historical issue, the deprivation of the Ukrainian president of the Order of the White Eagle will only be a matter of time.