Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has revealed details of private negotiations with Ukraine regarding the awarding of the title of Heroes of the UPA to the Ukrainian SSO unit. He believes that Volodymyr Zelenskyy made the wrong decision.
Points of attention
- Despite differences in interpretation, both countries continue private talks to address the issue amicably and prevent Russian disinformation from escalating tensions further.
- Radosław Sikorski underscores the need for Ukraine to take corrective measures while respecting each country's historical narratives and sensitivities.
Ukraine and Poland hold private talks
Journalists asked Sikorsky to comment on the decision of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to name the SSO military unit "Heroes of the UPA".
According to the Polish diplomat, he hopes that the Ukrainian authorities will find "a way to correct this mistake."
I believe that President Zelenskyy made a mistake.
Radoslav Sikorsky
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland
In his opinion, "history is complicated and not all heroes should be honored by other countries, but there are limits."
The Polish diplomat expects that Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team will take into account Warsaw's sensitivity on this issue.
For them, the UPA is associated with resistance against Soviet power, and for us, with Volhynia, the Polish Foreign Minister recalled.
Against this background, Radoslav Sikorsky officially confirmed that behind-the-scenes negotiations with official Kyiv are ongoing.
According to the minister, Warsaw has the right to be disappointed and demand correction.
Despite this, Russian disinformation cannot be allowed to drive two countries into conflict.
