Poroshenko also refuses Order of White Eagle, calls for finding way out of crisis in relations with Poland
European Solidarity party leader Petro Poroshenko has also announced his refusal of the Polish Order of the White Eagle and considers the decision of Polish President Karol Nawrocki to strip current President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy of this award to be a mistake.
"I have made the decision to refuse the Order of the White Eagle. Two weeks ago, I promised my colleagues at the conciliation council to take this step if we failed to convince President Nawrocki not to make a erroneous decision. Unfortunately, we did not succeed," Poroshenko said in a statement on Facebook.
Poroshenko noted that he considers the decision of Polish President Karol Nawrocki to be mistaken and unfair toward the people of Ukraine.
"It is no coincidence that Medvedev has already congratulated him. The Kremlin always applauds everything that weakens unity between Ukraine and Poland," the politician noted.
According to him, in Zelenskyy's case, as well as in his own, the awards were bestowed not upon the heads of state, but upon Ukrainians and the military who defend Ukraine, Poland, and all of Europe.
Poroshenko emphasized: "'If we quarrel over the past, someone else will win the future. The President of Ukraine must finally understand this. The President of Poland too. Before it is too late!' These are the words of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. 'Only Moscow can emerge as the winner in the war over history and orders' – the opinion of Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. I agree with both, because it hits the bullseye," he writes.
At the same time, Poroshenko noted that his gratitude to Poland for supporting Ukraine and Ukrainians during difficult times remains unchanged.
"My deep conviction in the strategic preciousness of the Ukrainian-Polish partnership remains unchanged. My respect for my colleagues and friends Presidents Kwasniewski, Komorowski, and Duda, Prime Minister Tusk, Foreign Minister Sikorski, and the rest of the Polish politicians with whom we built and will continue to build a strong partnership, I would even say an alliance, remains unchanged," the politician stressed.
He added that those in Poland who do not chew on historical myths but study history and draw conclusions from its lessons know that after Ukraine loses its independence, Poland loses it too. However, he emphasized, the past should not define Polish-Ukrainian relations.
"I do not want Poles editing our textbooks, and I in no way claim that we Ukrainians should adjust Polish textbooks, because otherwise they will send us a joint textbook from Moscow," the leader of European Solidarity noted.
According to him, today it is worth asking several honest questions.
"Who brought Ukrainian-Polish relations to a situation where historical disputes began to dominate over issues of common security again? Who set up the Ukrainian state by allowing the transformation of complex pages of history into an instrument of political confrontation? Who did not see or did not want to see that only one capital – Moscow – wins from this escalation?" Poroshenko wrote.
According to him, logistics is extremely important in the war.
"Ukraine destroys the enemy's logistics in occupied Crimea every day, trying to complicate supplies for the Russian army. Instead, Russia, through its agents of influence, through useful idiots, and through old historical wounds, tries to destroy our logistics in the West – where key support routes for Ukraine pass. For us, Rzeszow is not just a Polish city. It is one of the symbols of international solidarity with Ukraine," he noted.
Therefore, the politician is convinced, any crisis between Kyiv and Warsaw today is not just a problem of diplomacy, but a security issue, so it must be resolved immediately.
"Today it is important not to deepen the conflict, but to end it. I always remember the words of Saint John Paul II: 'We forgive and ask for forgiveness.' It was this formula that once helped our nations find the path to reconciliation and partnership," he noted.
Poroshenko proposed to look for solutions starting Monday that will allow not deepening the current crisis, but turning it into an impetus for a new stage of Ukrainian-Polish partnership – honest, friendly, and strategic.
"Politicians can afford political gestures, but diplomats must overcome the crisis rather than toss orders around," he emphasized.
Poroshenko added that Poland during his presidential term became and should continue to be the main advocate for Ukraine on its path to EU and NATO membership.
"And now the main thing for Ukrainian diplomacy is to preserve this achievement and strengthen our internal unity in the struggle for ambitious external goals. It was precisely in this logic that I made my decision," he concluded.
As reported, on June 19, President of the Republic of Poland Karol Nawrocki announced the decision to strip President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, citing disagreements regarding historical memory and the attitude toward the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). According to him, for the majority of Polish society, the UPA remains a formation responsible for crimes against citizens of the Republic of Poland during World War II. Nawrocki also expressed disagreement with Zelenskyy's decision to award the honorary name after the Heroes of the UPA to the Separate Special Operations Center "North" of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
