Dispute over orders with Ukraine is "somewhat pointless," Polish MFA says
The Polish Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized the actions of President Karol Nawrocki regarding stripping Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, calling the conflict "pointless."
This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Wladyslaw Teofil Bartoszewski on RMF FM radio, Censor.NET reports.
Bartoszewski made it clear that the foreign ministry considers the current Polish president's reaction harmful to bilateral relations.
"This dispute over orders is somewhat pointless. It is bad that President Zelenskyy made such a decision (to name it after the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army - Ed.), but it was not necessarily necessary to strip him of the Order of the White Eagle," he said.
When journalists asked about the legal side of the issue, namely the fate of Prime Minister Donald Tusk's countersignature, which by law was supposed to approve the president's decision to strip him of the award, Bartoszewski replied that the matter was closed. Since Volodymyr Zelenskyy had acted pre-emptively and returned the award on his own, there is nothing left for the prime minister to sign.
"What is the prime minister supposed to countersign if the order is kept in the Presidential Palace? The matter is closed," he said.
Gdansk forum: EUR 10 billion instead of political quarrels
Bartoszewski also rejected attempts to link Volodymyr Zelenskyy's absence from the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in Gdansk to the "order scandal," assuring that this does not affect the effectiveness of the summit in any way.
"The presence of Mr. President (of Ukraine - Ed.) has nothing to do with this. The most important thing is that about five thousand people came there, including two thousand business representatives. They are discussing specific potential opportunities and concluding agreements. They say that about 2,000 agreements worth almost EUR 10 billion may be concluded," he added.
Background
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 Ukrainian Insurgent Army (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.
