90% support constructive approach to resolving historical disputes with Poland, -KIIS poll. INFOGRAPHICS
Most Ukrainian citizens express a desire for constructive cooperation with Poland in resolving historical disputes.
This is according to a KIIS poll, as reported by Censor.NET.
Details
Respondents were asked which approach they supported most when it came to cooperation with Poland.
They were given four options to choose from. Two of them were confrontational:
- "Ukraine must fulfill all of Poland’s demands and, in general, adhere to the Polish view of shared history"—that is, the de facto subordination of Ukrainian historical policy to Polish demands and Ukraine’s loss of subjectivity in matters concerning its own history;
- "Poland must change its position and begin to adhere to the Ukrainian perspective on our shared history"—in this case, conversely, Poland is expected to be deprived of its subjectivity in historical matters;
The next two options were constructive.
- "Both countries should strive to develop a shared perspective on their mutual history through mutual compromises and through joint commissions of historians, rather than politicians"—a romantic expectation that, through depoliticization and the work of professional historians, it is possible to reach a consensus and a shared perspective on events;
- "Each country may have its own view of history and should not interfere with how another country perceives it"—a pragmatic approach that reflects a fair understanding that every nation may have its own heroes and that other nations should not interfere in these matters.
Responses from Ukrainians
Only 5% of Ukrainians support a confrontational approach to resolving historical disputes: just 1% expect Ukraine to yield to Poland on these issues, while at the same time only 4% of Ukrainians expect Poland to yield to Ukraine.
"In contrast, 90% of Ukrainians seek constructive cooperation with Poland. The majority (57%) share the pragmatic view that every nation can have its own heroes and that other nations should not interfere. Another 33% believe that a consensus can be reached through joint commissions of historians, rather than politicians," the sociologists noted.
Methodology
The survey was conducted June 17–23, 2026. A total of 1,005 respondents were surveyed.
Formally, under normal circumstances, the statistical margin of error for such a sample (with a confidence level of 0.95 and accounting for a design effect of 1.3) did not exceed 4.1% for indicators close to 50%, 3.5% for indicators close to 25%, 2.5% for indicators close to 10%, and 1.8% for indicators close to 5%.
What preceded it?
Polish President Karol Nawrocki 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:
- Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha declined the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order ‘For Merit to Poland’ in response to the decision by Polish President 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 "For Merit to Poland";
- Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland, also announced that he was returning his Polish award following the stripping of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle.
- On 20 June, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent the Order of the White Eagle to Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
- The second President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, the third President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, and the fifth President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, also announced that they were declining the Polish Order of the White Eagle.
