Polish government's revocation of state honor — returned by Zelensky on June 20 — seen as driving the decision

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [Getty Images]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [Getty Images]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided not to attend a Ukraine reconstruction conference in Poland, in what appears to be fallout from a renewed historical dispute between the two countries.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko will lead a delegation to the conference, scheduled for Thursday in Poland, according to AFP and other news agencies. The announcement effectively confirmed Zelensky's absence from the event.

The apparent trigger for Zelensky's decision to skip the conference — just two days before it opens — is the Polish government's recent revocation of a state honor it had previously awarded him.

The dispute began last month when Zelensky granted the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA" to a Ukrainian military unit, the Northern Independent Special Operations Center.

The UPA, or Ukrainian Insurgent Army, was a Ukrainian nationalist armed organization that fought against the Soviet Union during World War II. The group remains a deeply sensitive historical issue between Ukraine and Poland.

Particularly contentious is the fact that some UPA units collaborated with the Nazis and face allegations of involvement in the Volhynia massacres of 1943–1944, in which approximately 100,000 Polish civilians were killed. The issue has long provoked strong backlash in Poland.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki ultimately revoked the honor he had bestowed on Zelensky. Zelensky returned it on June 20.

The Ukraine reconstruction conference is an annual international forum held since 2022 to discuss ways to support the recovery and rebuilding of Ukraine from war damage.


quq@heraldcorp.com