President of Poland Karol Nawrocki officially explained his controversial decision to revoke the Order of the White Eagle from Volodymyr Zelensky by stating that the Ukrainian side allegedly crossed the permissible line in bilateral relations.
President of Poland Karol Nawrocki / © Getty Images
During the celebrations marking the National Day of the Silesian Uprisings, Polish President Karol Nawrocki publicly commented on his actions concerning Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
This was reported by the Polish publication TVN24.
Nawrocki recalled the country’s difficult history, which was free for only 31 years in the 20th century and constantly struggled against totalitarian regimes.
“Yes, we know what war is, we know what the struggle for independence is, we know what the post-Soviet, today’s Russian threat is, but we are a proud Polish nation, and we have our pain threshold on issues concerning us and our allies. And this pain threshold has been exceeded, which is why I took back the Order of the White Eagle from President Zelensky,” stated Nawrocki.
The day before, he announced that he had made this decision after consultations with the Chapter of the Order. The reason was Volodymyr Zelensky’s consent to grant an honorary title to one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in honor of the UPA heroes. The award itself was received by the Ukrainian President in April 2023 from the then-President of Poland Andrzej Duda for outstanding merits in deepening friendly relations.
Reaction from politicians and diplomats
Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk sharply criticized such actions, emphasizing that a conflict between Warsaw and Kyiv only pleases Putin and shocks Western allies.
“The task of Presidents Zelensky and Nawrocki is to calm emotions, not to escalate tensions, as the frontline runs elsewhere,” stressed the head of the Polish government.
The Ukrainian side also reacted instantly to Warsaw’s unfriendly move. Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiga called the revocation of the order a strategic mistake by Nawrocki, which only Russia will benefit from. As a sign of protest, the head of the MFA, as well as high-ranking officials Kyrylo Budanov and Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar, promised to return their own Polish state awards.
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