Foreign Ministry has dismissed as baseless rumours that Zelenskyy refused to fly via Poland: there is no political dimension to this
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied rumours that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy changed his usual route for overseas trips and flew to London via Moldova instead of Poland due to the political conflict between Kyiv and Warsaw.
This was stated by Georgiy Tykhyi, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a press briefing, as quoted by "Suspilne", reports Censor.NET.
The Foreign Ministry’s stance: Security comes before politics
Tikhyi dismissed claims that the Ukrainian leader had made a diplomatic protest regarding Polish airports. According to him, the planning and approval of flight routes is purely a technical matter handled by the security services.
"I’ve seen this link [to the conflict with Poland]. It strikes me as contrived. The President’s logistics are arranged separately by his protocol department. Let’s not politicise logistics issues or attach undue importance to them from a security perspective. It’s not worth it, to be honest. There is no political dimension here, and there is no need to look for one," urged the Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
How it all began
- Earlier, the media, citing data from FlightAware, reported that Zelenskyy had flown to the UK from Chisinau Airport (Moldova), rather than from Rzeszów in Poland, which he had used previously. Social media users speculated that the changes to the president’s travel arrangements were due to tensions between Ukraine and Poland.
- Against this backdrop, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also dismissed suggestions that Zelenskyy had not flown via Poland due to pressure from Warsaw, and stated that the airport in Rzeszów had not been closed.
What happened beforehand?
- Tensions in Ukrainian-Polish relations flared up after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on 26 May conferring the honorary title "of the Heroes of the UPA" on the "Pivnich" Special Operations Centre of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The text of the document stated that the decision was taken with the aim of "restoring the historical traditions of the national army".
- On 29 May, Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced his intention to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle — Poland’s highest honour, which was awarded to him in 2023 by the then Polish President Andrzej Duda.
- Lech Wałęsa, former President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, demonstratively removed the badge featuring the Ukrainian flag that he always wore as a sign of protest, and accused Zelenskyy of "honouring UPA bandits", which, in his words, "offended him personally and all the Poles who were killed".
- Bartosz Cichocki, the former Polish Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Ukraine, has officially returned the Order "For Merit" that Zelenskyy awarded him in 2022, following this decision.
- Marcin Przydacz, head of the International Policy Bureau at the Office of the President of Poland, has stated that Volodymyr Zelenskyy should personally call his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki and formally apologise for naming a Special Operations Forces unit after the "Heroes of the UPA".
