Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has thanked the Presidents of Ukraine and Poland, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Karol Nawrocki, for taking steps to resolve the issue in the Ukrainian-Polish dialogue, while simultaneously accusing them of creating the problem in the first place.
"I thank the presidents of Poland and Ukraine for trying so hard during the NATO summit in Ankara to solve the problem they themselves created," Sikorski posted on X on Wednesday.
As reported, Zelenskyy and Nawrocki held two meetings on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara on Tuesday and Wednesday. The latter, according to Advisor to the President of Ukraine on Communications Dmytro Lytvyn, was a long one.
"It seems natural to me that countries that are neighbors and have a common enemy – Russia continue a dialogue with each other, despite a certain bilateral tension. Yesterday, President Zelenskyy and I had a civilized conversation. We may repeat this conversation today," Nawrocki said on Wednesday ahead of the second meeting, adding that his position "on issues concerning our bilateral tension remains unchanged."
As reported, at the end of May 2026, Zelenskyy assigned the honorary title "named after the Heroes of the UPA" to the Separate Special Operations Center "North" of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The decision drew criticism in Poland, where the Ukrainian Insurgent Army is associated with the Volyn tragedy.
On June 19, Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced the decision to strip President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, explaining it by differences regarding historical memory and the attitude toward the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. Following this, the second President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma, the third President Viktor Yushchenko, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Borys Tarasiuk, and a number of other Ukrainian statesmen renounced the Polish award.
