Former Prime Minister Hroisman is also returning Polish honour to Nawrocki: as sign of solidarity with Ukraine and President. PHOTOS
Former Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroisman is returning the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He announced this on his Facebook page, according to Censor.NET.
As a sign of solidarity with Ukraine and the President
"In 2011, whilst serving as mayor of Vinnytsia, I was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland for developing regional cooperation with Polish cities.
This award is personal to me. That is why the decision to return it is also a personal one.
I am returning the order as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine and President Zelenskyy. Not out of any resentment towards the Polish people, but out of deep respect for them and gratitude for all the years of support, for the millions of Poles who opened their hearts and homes to our people after 24 February," Hroisman said.
The past and the future
He emphasised that every nation has the right to its own history and its own heroes. This right is sacred – for both Ukraine and Poland.
"We may view the past differently, and that is normal between neighbours with such a deep and complex shared history. But the past cannot be more important than our shared future.
There is one thing that is beyond dispute: a war is raging today. The real enemy is Russia. And whilst this war continues, we cannot afford to argue about the past. This is precisely what Moscow wants: for Warsaw and Kyiv to look back rather than forward," wrote the former prime minister.
Hroisman also quoted Winston Churchill: "If you quarrel with the past, you will lose the future."
"Ukraine and Poland are strategic allies. Not because it is written in declarations. But because our security, our freedom and our place in Europe are inseparable.
My medal is being returned. But my respect for the Polish people remains," he emphasised.
What led up to this?
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 MinisterAndrii Sybiha declined the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order ‘For Merit to Poland’ in response to Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s decision 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 President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s stripping 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.
