Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk has announced the conclusion of 200 agreements and contracts between Polish and Ukrainian companies at the fifth Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) scheduled for June 25-26 in Gdansk and stated that he is working to minimize the negative consequences of the decisions made by Polish and Ukrainian Presidents Karol Nawrocki and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"We have prepared 200 agreements and contracts to be concluded in Gdansk between Polish and Ukrainian companies… Regardless of who spoils our work in Warsaw and Kyiv – the conference in Gdansk will take place, and we will do our job," the Prime Minister’s Chancellery quoted Tusk on X on Tuesday.
At the beginning of the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Poland, he stated that "for many hours we have been working to minimize the costs and damages that arose as a result of the decision of the presidents of Ukraine and Poland."
"I am aware of the public sentiment. The whole world was amazed by the self-sacrifice and openness of Poles who provided aid to hundreds of thousands of refugees… I understand the mood, but given Poland’s strategic security, I will not have a hand in fueling these tensions. It is in the long-term interests of Poland to build relations with Ukraine based on a vision of the future," Tusk said.
As reported, URC 2026 will take place in the city of Gdansk on June 25-26, 2026. The event is jointly organized by the governments of Poland and Ukraine to mobilize international support, attract investments, and plan reconstruction. The conference continues a series of high-level international forums previously hosted by Lugano, London, Berlin, and Rome.
The Ukrainian delegation to the conference will be led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. According to her, the Ukrainian team will include representatives of Ukrainian business, heads of state-owned companies, representatives of our communities from across the country, and, of course, government officials and parliamentarians. She stated that the team faces the task of reaching concrete agreements that will support Ukraine’s defense capability and resilience and expand economic cooperation with partners, and announced the signing of a series of important agreements with international partners, in particular on strengthening Ukrainian energy sector.
Earlier, Head of the International Policy Bureau at the Chancellery of the President Marcin Przydacz stated that Polish President Karol Nawrocki had not received an invitation to URC 2026 and therefore would not participate in it.
Prior to this, on June 19, Nawrocki announced the decision to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, citing differences 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 Separate Special Operations Center "North" of the SOF of the AFU the honorary title named after the Heroes of the UPA.
Following this, the second President of Ukraine (1994-2005) Leonid Kuchma, the third President of Ukraine (2004-2008) Viktor Yushchenko, and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (1998-2000, 2005-2007) Borys Tarasyuk renounced the Polish Order of the White Eagle. A number of current and former statesmen also announced their refusal of several Polish state awards.
Zelenskyy stated that the Order of the White Eagle is a symbol of trust of the Polish state and gratitude of the people, and emphasized that Ukraine respects Poland’s contribution to the common fight against Russian aggression, but noted that Ukraine will not dispute decisions on awards if such symbols remain with Catherine the Great, Benito Mussolini, and Gerhard Schroeder.
