Kosiniak-Kamysz after meeting with Budanov: Memory of victims of Volyn tragedy is not up for debate
Following a meeting with Kyrylo Budanov, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Ukraine and Poland remain security partners, but there are historical issues that are of fundamental importance to Warsaw.
According to Censor.NET, Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote about this on X.
He emphasized that his country and Ukraine are partners on security issues.
"But when it comes to history, we must tell each other the truth, because that is the only way we can build a future," he wrote.
According to him, during his meeting with Budanov, he "clearly outlined Poland's expectations regarding the decision to name one of the military units after the UPA."
"The memory of the victims of the Volyn tragedy is not up for debate. There are lines that must not be crossed," Kosniak-Kamysz added.
What happened before?
- Tensions in Ukrainian-Polish relations flared up after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on May 26 conferring the honorary title "Named After the Heroes of the UPA" on the "North" Special Operations Center of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The text of the document stated that the decision was made with the aim of "restoring the historical traditions of the national army."
- Lech Wałęsa, former president of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, demonstratively removed the Ukrainian flag pin he always wore as a sign of protest and accused Zelenskyy of "honoring UPA bandits," which, he said, "offended him personally and all the Poles who were killed."
- Bartosz Cichocki, the former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland to Ukraine, officially returned the Order "For Merit" that Zelenskyy had awarded him in 2022, in response to this decision.
- Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau at the Office of the President of Poland, stated that Volodymyr Zelenskyy should personally call his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki and formally apologize for naming a Special Operations Forces unit "after the Heroes of the UPA."
