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An intensifying public row between Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky undermines political unity and plays directly into Russia’s hands, the European Commission has warned.
“If there’s something we have learned over the past five years (of) facing this unprovoked war in Ukraine is that unity is our strongest tool, and that anything that undermines that unity, including disputes, in this case, between a member state and Ukraine, is not helpful,” Paula Pino, the Commission’s chief spokesperson, told journalists on Tuesday.
“There is only one happy observer in this type of situation, and that’s the aggressor in Ukraine, so we shouldn’t be playing into their hands.”
Tensions have rapidly risen since late May, when Zelenskyy signed a decree naming a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a decentralised guerrilla movement founded during World War II.
The UPA is admired in Ukraine for its resistance against the Soviet Union and the pursuit of an independent state. But in Poland, the UPA is held responsible for the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, which Warsaw considers genocide.
In response to the decision, Poland’s nationalist president, Karol Nawrocki, announcedon Friday that he would strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honour, calling it a “warning signal” to his counterpart.
“There are boundaries that must not be crossed in Polish-Ukrainian relations,” he said.
The following day, Zelenskyy posted a photo on social media that appeared to show the medal on its way to being shipped back to Warsaw. Other Ukrainian figures returned their Polish decorations in a show of solidarity.
“Such a symbol requires not only merit, but also respect for the values that form the foundation of our community,” Zelenskyy said.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has regularly clashed with Nawrocki, has described the confrontation as a “strategic mistake that will cost both sides”.
The bitter spat comes just a few days before Poland is due to host the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk. Zelenskyy, who was expected to attend, will skip the ceremony, and Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko will lead the delegation in his stead.
On Tuesday, the Commission confirmed that President Ursula von der Leyen will participate in the recovery conference as originally planned while offering to mediate between the feuding parties.
“We stand ready to (do) all necessary to make sure that this does not stand in the way (of) a good conference in Gdańsk later this week,” Pinho said. “We have confidence in the ongoing discussions between Poland and Ukraine, and we are confident that this will be solved.”
This is the second time this year that the executive is forced to tread carefully between a member state and Kyiv. Earlier this year, the Commission was caught in a rancorous dispute between Hungary and Ukraine over the Druzhba pipeline.