Yaroslav Kaczyński
According to the publication, Kaczyński accused the Ukrainian authorities of “violently escalating” the conflict with Poland. Two days earlier, he announced that he would return a Ukrainian state award, emphasizing that this gesture was directed not at the Ukrainian people, but at the country’s political leadership.
The PiS leader’s statements stand in sharp contrast to the position of Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, which continues to support Ukraine. For example, on June 25, Tusk opened the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdańsk, which resulted in the signing of 160 agreements worth over 10 billion euros.
According to the Financial Times, Kaczyński’s harsher rhetoric is linked to the party’s preparations for parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place in Poland in the fall of 2027. The publication notes that PiS is seeking to secure the support of farmers dissatisfied with imports of Ukrainian agricultural products, as well as a segment of voters concerned about the costs of hosting Ukrainian refugees.
The trigger for the new diplomatic conflict was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to name one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ units after the “heroes of the UPA.” Following this, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle—the country’s highest state honor.
In response, several Ukrainian officials and politicians renounced their Polish state awards. Furthermore, Zelenskyy did not attend the conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction in Gdańsk, although he had previously been expected to personally lead the Ukrainian delegation.
The historical assessment of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) remains one of the most sensitive issues in relations between the two countries. In Ukraine, its members are regarded as fighters for independence, whereas in Poland, the UPA is primarily associated with the Volhynia tragedy of 1943–1944, in which tens of thousands of Polish citizens were killed.
