Kuchma declined Polish Order of White Eagle
The second President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, has declined the Polish Order of the White Eagle, which he was awarded in 1997. The reason for this was Warsaw’s decision to strip the current President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of this honour.
Kuchma’s statement was announced by his press secretary, Darka Olifer, according to Censor.NET.
Kuchma declines the order
"Following the decision by the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, to strip the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of the Polish Order of the White Eagle, I have decided to renounce this order, which I had the honour of being awarded in 1997," the statement reads.
Kuchma noted that throughout his presidency he had regarded the development of friendly relations with Poland as one of his main priorities.
"We paid particular attention to resolving historical issues in relations between our nations, which resulted in our joint statement of 2003 on their reconciliation. We forgive and ask for forgiveness – it is precisely this principle that President Kwaśniewski and I developed under the spiritual guidance of the great Pole, Pope John Paul II," he said.
According to Kuchma, this principle has worked for decades.
"The genuine friendship between Ukraine and Poland has become a reality. This is borne out by the invaluable assistance Poland has provided to Ukraine from the very first hours of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion. And I am certain that President Navrotsky’s current unfriendly move cannot undo all of this. But today I have no choice but to decline this high Polish honour. Ukraine did not take up arms against Russia – which justified its invasion with historical claims – so that other countries could now dictate our history to us and determine whom we should honour," stated Ukraine’s second president.
He expressed the hope that the friendship and alliance between Ukraine and Poland would continue.
"But today I feel sadness and anxiety. It is one thing when an enemy attacks. It is quite another when enmity drives friends apart. And it is even more frightening when these friends are also threatened by a common danger. We must remember history. However, the past cannot be more important than the future. The searing, acute, yet phantom pain of a long-ago tragedy must not blind us to the point where we fail to see the real, present threat posed by an imperial power in the East, which has previously deprived both our nations of statehood and makes no secret of its intentions to try to do so again," the statement reads.
Finally, Kuchma emphasised that Ukraine and Poland need each other more than ever before.
"Politicians in both countries need to be aware of this. I am counting on their wisdom," he concluded.
What led up to it?
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the country’s highest honour, the Order of the White Eagle, amid a scandal over the naming of an elite unit of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces after the Heroes of the UPA.
In response, a number of Ukrainian officials issued statements:
- The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, has declined the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in response to the decision by the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest honour, the Order of the White Eagle;
- The Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, declined the Order of Merit of Poland;
- Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar also announced that he would return his Polish honour following the stripping of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.
- On 20 June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the Order of the White Eagle to the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki.
