Meeting between Karol Nawrocki and Volodymyr Zelensky, December 19, 2025
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Relations between Poland and Ukraine, once among the closest in Europe amid the Ukraine conflict, have deteriorated sharply in recent days following a bitter dispute over historical memory that has now spilled into questions about military assistance.
The latest flashpoint erupted after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a special forces operations center after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a World War II-era group that many Poles associate with the massacres of ethnic Poles in Volhynia during 1943-1945. Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki responded by stripping Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state honor, which had been awarded to him in 2023.
Mocking Nawrocki, Zelenskyy returned the decoration, and several top Ukrainian officials followed suit by renouncing their own Polish awards.
Former Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller, a veteran left-wing politician, seized on the exchanges with pointed sarcasm. “Since everyone is so eager to return what they’ve received, let them return the MiGs, tanks, and weapons. That would be a gesture of goodwill, wouldn’t it?” Miller said.
Poland was one of Ukraine’s earliest and most vocal supporters after Russia’s 2022 invasion, providing tanks, MiG-29 fighter jets, artillery, ammunition, and hosting millions of Ukrainian refugees. Warsaw has also served as a key logistical hub for Western military aid.
Miller’s comments, while not reflective of official government policy under Prime Minister Donald Tusk, underscore growing frustration in parts of Polish society and politics over what many view as Ukrainian ingratitude on historical issues. The Volhynia massacres remain a deeply emotional topic in Poland, where they are often described as genocide.
Ukrainian officials have described the Polish reaction as disproportionate and have sought to frame the honoring of the UPA as recognition of anti-Soviet resistance rather than an endorsement of past atrocities. Kyiv has emphasized the importance of the bilateral partnership in the face of Russian aggression.
Analysts warn that the public spat risks undermining unified Western support for Ukraine at a critical juncture in the war, now entering its fifth year. Both countries share a long border and a common strategic interest in countering Moscow, but unresolved historical grievances and war fatigue continue to strain ties.
Polish officials have stressed that core military and security cooperation remains intact, despite the rhetorical escalation. However, public opinion in Poland has grown more divided on the extent of ongoing support, with some voices calling for Poland to prioritize its own defense modernization.
As of Sunday, neither the Polish government nor Ukrainian authorities have issued direct responses to Miller’s specific remarks on returning equipment. The episode highlights how historical wounds, even amid an existential conflict, can rapidly inflame diplomatic relations between two nations that were recently hailed as “kindred” in the face of Russian threats.
Further talks between Warsaw and Kyiv are expected in the coming weeks as both sides attempt to contain the damage.
Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Zelensky’s award withdrawal declared, “We are a proud Polish nation….”
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