The President of Poland stripped Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle: the Foreign Ministry’s reaction appeared

Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed a decree to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle. In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Szybiga said he would return his Polish state award.

This was reported by the administration of the President of Poland.

Karol Navrotskyi stated that the decision is related to the decree of Volodymyr Zelenskyy dated May 26, 2026 on awarding the Separate Special Operations Center “North” of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the honorary title “named after the Heroes of the UPA”.

Zelensky received the Order of the White Eagle in April 2023 from then-President of Poland Andrzej Duda.

“Such a symbol requires not only merit, but also respect for the values that form the foundation of our community… Therefore, given the consent of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to assign one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the title “Heroes of the UPA”, after consultations with the chapter, I have decided to deprive the President of Ukraine of the Order of the White Eagle,” said Karol Navrotsky.

At the same time, the Polish president emphasized that this decision does not mean a refusal to support Ukraine.

“We have supported and continue to support Ukraine, because we know that Russian aggression poses a threat to the security of Poland and all of Europe. Nothing has changed in this assessment. Russia is the aggressor, and Putin is a criminal who is responsible for unleashing a war that has become the largest armed conflict for Europe since the end of World War II,” said Karol Nawrocki.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called the Polish president’s decision a strategic mistake and said that he would return the Commander’s Cross with the Star of the Order “For Merit to Poland”, which he was awarded in October 2022.

“The decision to deprive the President of Ukraine of the Order of the White Eagle is a strategic mistake by the President of Poland, from which only Moscow benefits. We regret that emotions prevailed in Warsaw and forced Polish politicians to take unjustified, impulsive and contemptuous steps,” said Andriy Sybiga.

The minister also stated that Ukraine did not seek this conflict and has recently been working to resolve historical contradictions and develop cooperation with the Polish side.

Separately, Karol Nawrocki stated that protecting Polish farmers is one of his priorities in the context of Ukraine’s possible accession to the European Union.

“We have too good land, too beautiful Poland, and too talented Polish farmers to give Polish agriculture to someone else,” said Karol Nawrocki.

According to the Polish President, Ukraine’s accession to the European Union could create serious competition for Polish farmers due to the much larger scale of the Ukrainian agricultural sector.

Previously, “Pryamiy” reported that Polish President Karol Nawrocki is allegedly considering the possibility of depriving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of Poland’s highest state award – the Order of the White Eagle – due to the decision to award one of the units of the SSO named after the Heroes of the UPA.

By the way, the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, expects Ukraine to change its position on granting one of its military units the honorary title “named after the heroes of the UPA.”

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