Poland has warned Ukraine of the consequences of honouring controversial nationalist leaders at a heroes’ memorial planned for the capital, Kiev.
Reverence for such historical figures is not only regrettable from a Polish perspective, but also constitutes “short-sighted politics” from Ukraine’s point of view, said Marcin Przydacz, foreign policy adviser to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, on Monday.
“A healthy form of nationalism is sometimes acceptable, but we are talking here about chauvinism, an ideology that is close to Nazism,” he added, warning that the dispute could complicate Ukraine’s integration into Euro-Atlantic structures.
The comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law establishing a controversial National Heroes’ Memorial, the latest thorn in relations between Warsaw and Kiev amid months of rising tensions over historical issues.
In future, members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) are also to be honoured in the so-called Pantheon.
Nationalist underground fighters of the UPA were responsible for mass murders of Poles and Jews, particularly in Volyn in what is now western Ukraine, during the German occupation in World War II, resulting in tens of thousands of victims.
The rift between Ukraine and Poland – which has been one of Kiev’s strongest supporters against Russia – erupted in June, after Zelensky awarded a military unit the honorary title of “Heroes of the UPA.”
As a result, Warsaw revoked Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state honour. Several other Ukrainian and Polish politicians also returned their honours.