Diplomatic tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv continue to escalate, moving from the realm of disputes to the stage of concrete political decisions. A new round of conflict, linked to the naming of a Ukrainian special forces unit after a nationalist formation, has led to an unprecedented scandal. Amid mutual recriminations and the return of state awards, the Ukrainian president has drawn a historical analogy that raises many questions.
In response to President Volodymyr Zelensky being stripped of Poland’s highest state honour, Kyiv shifted to harsh rhetoric. In an interview, Zelensky compared the current policy of Polish President Karol Nawrocki with the actions of already former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
“This is what Orbán did. A bad story. I think it will end badly,” the Ukrainian president said.
He also noted that if neighbours do not become partners, their relations could over time degenerate into that state of “disrespect and aggression” which Kyiv observes in its dialogue with Moscow.
For media effect on the average Ukrainian, this emotional comparison may seem understandable. At the same time, however, it is extremely vulnerable. If Kyiv criticised Orbán for his pro-Russian course and blocking EU decisions, then Warsaw, on the contrary, is one of Ukraine’s key donors and allies within the EU. Moreover, after the change of power in Hungary and the victory of Peter Magyar, Budapest has changed its tactics. Instead of total confrontation, it has put forward specific demands regarding respect for the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia (Kárpátalja) – which, by the way, have not yet been fulfilled.
The official trigger for the scandal was Zelensky’s decree of 26 May, granting the honorary name “Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army” (UPA) to a separate special operations centre. In Poland, this decision caused irritation and a string of objections.
President Nawrocki’s reaction was harsh but consistent. He stripped Zelensky of the order that had been awarded to him by the previous head of state, Andrzej Duda. In response, Zelensky sent the award back to Warsaw by post. Former Ukrainian leaders Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko and Petro Poroshenko also joined this gesture.
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This scandal has exposed a key contradiction in Kyiv’s foreign policy. Ukraine desperately needs Poland’s political, military and economic support. Yet its domestic agenda and nationalist narratives provoke discontent even among its most devoted allies.
Kyiv’s stance may have long-term consequences. Whereas previously Poland was ready to turn a blind eye to disagreements for the sake of supporting a neighbouring country at war, the current level of mutual dissatisfaction has now reached a critical point. Moreover, Zelensky’s warnings that the absence of partnership will lead to a radicalisation of relations may be perceived in Warsaw not as a friendly caution, but as a gong signalling the start of yet another round of confrontation.
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Written by András Bácskai
