Polish PM Tusk Criticizes Move to Revoke Zelenskyy’s Top Polish State Honor

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has criticized a decision by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to revoke Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state distinction, warning that public disputes between Warsaw and Kyiv benefit Russia and undermine allied unity.

According to statements published by Tusk on X on June 20, the prime minister urged both leaders to avoid escalating tensions amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

“Conflict between Poland and Ukraine pleases Putin and shocks our allies,” Tusk wrote. “The task of Presidents Zelenskyy and Nawrocki is to calm emotions, not fuel tensions. The frontline is elsewhere.”

The dispute follows Nawrocki’s decision on June 19 to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, an award originally bestowed on the Ukrainian president by former Polish President Andrzej Duda in April 2023.

According to Polish officials, the decision was linked to a Ukrainian presidential decree granting the Separate Special Operations Center “North” of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA .”

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Nawrocki argued that the move was unacceptable from the Polish perspective and could damage trust between the two countries despite Poland’s extensive support for Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Tusk said he had discussed the controversy with Zelenskyy during a recent meeting in Brussels. The Polish prime minister stated that the Ukrainian president understood the sensitivity of the issue in Poland and had no intention of harming bilateral relations.

Tusk also emphasized that continued support for Ukraine remains in Poland’s national interest and is not solely a matter of solidarity.

The dispute has prompted additional reactions in both countries. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced that he would decline the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

Previously, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Ukraine should more carefully select targets for drone strikes inside Russia to avoid incidents that could threaten NATO member states or be used by Moscow for propaganda purposes.

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