Zelenskyy’s decision on Ukrainian Insurgent Army was unfortunate, but someone among parties must be wiser – Polish Sejm Speaker Czarzasty
Speaker of the Polish Sejm, Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, has called for avoiding an escalation of the conflict between Poland and Ukraine over the naming of a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces unit after the "Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA)," saying that stripping the Ukrainian president of Poland’s highest award during the war with Russia could trigger an irreversible chain reaction.
He was quoted by PAP, Censor.NET reports.
Risk of "award chaos" during war
Czarzasty said the parties should show wisdom and restraint to prevent escalation.
On Tuesday, the Sejm speaker was asked about the possible stripping of Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle after he decided to name one of Ukraine’s military units after the "Heroes of the UIA."
Czarzasty stressed that the parties must now demonstrate restraint so as not to provoke reciprocal steps, which would be unacceptable amid Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"Someone in this matter, without offending anyone, has to prove wiser. If the point is that the decision now rests with the Polish side, then I would really advise thinking 10 times before making decisions on matters concerning Ukraine, because these decisions may lead to further decisions on its part; for example, everyone will return their orders, then the same will happen on Poland’s side, while in the meantime a war is going on," the Polish official said.
Kyiv’s unfortunate move and behind-the-scenes attempts at compromise
At the same time, Czarzasty did not hide his critical view of Zelenskyy’s decision, calling the naming of the unit after the Heroes of the UIA an "unfortunate move" that predictably stirred Polish society.
He recalled a meeting with the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, who recently visited Warsaw to resolve the situation, as well as a conversation with the head of the Ukrainian parliament, during which he urged them to "think carefully" about further steps.
The speaker of the Polish parliament also separately appealed to the presidents of both countries, Karol Nawrocki and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, calling on them to return to "common sense." The main practical argument for ending the quarrels is a major international conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction, which is scheduled to take place in Gdansk this June.
The scandal over the unit named after the Heroes of the UIA
- The escalation in Ukrainian-Polish relations broke out after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on May 26 granting the Separate Special Operations Center "North" of the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine's Armed Forces the honorary title "named after the Heroes of the UIA." The text of the document stated that the decision was made to "restore the historical traditions of the national army."
- Former Polish President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa demonstratively removed a badge with the Ukrainian flag, which he had constantly worn, in protest and accused Zelenskyy of "honoring UIA bandits," which, he said, "insulted him personally and all murdered Poles."
- Former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Poland to Ukraine Bartosz Cichocki officially returned the Order of Merit awarded to him by Zelenskyy in 2022 over the same decision.
- Head of the International Policy Bureau at the Polish president's office, Marcin Przydacz, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy should personally call his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki and formally apologize for giving the SOF unit the name "Heroes of the UIA."
