Ukraine's third president, Viktor Yushchenko, declined the Polish Order of the White Eagle
The third President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, decided to decline the Polish Order of the White Eagle as a sign of his objection to the decision to award Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the same honor.
Yushchenko’s former press secretary, Iryna Vannykova, announced his decision.
“I clearly remember the tears in the eyes of Viktor Yushchenko and Lech Kaczyński in Huta Peniatska in the Lviv region in 2009, where a memorial service was held for the Polish victims of a punitive operation during World War II. Those were sincere tears of atonement, mutual forgiveness, and tribute to the fallen. At that time, Yushchenko and Kaczyński consciously chose the path of reconciliation. A few years earlier, our presidents had jointly honored Ukrainian victims in the village of Pawłokoma in Poland and emphasized the need for Ukrainian-Polish understanding despite the tragic chapters of the past. “This was one of the most striking examples
of the policy of historical reconciliation that Viktor Yushchenko and Lech Kaczyński built together,” Vannikova wrote.
According to her, at that time, Ukrainians and Poles were working through the difficult and painful chapters of our shared history together. These were difficult conversations, but they were based on mutual respect, honesty, and a desire to understand one another. This is precisely how genuine reconciliation and respect between Ukrainians and Poles were born.
“Likewise, I will never forget the first months of the full-scale invasion. Poland and the Polish people were among the first to extend a helping hand to Ukraine. And for that, we will always be grateful. Today, Ukraine is defending more than just itself. Our military is defending the eastern border of all of Europe. And any steps that weaken Ukrainian-Polish unity ultimately only serve the Kremlin’s interests,” Vannikova wrote.
Thus, among the living former presidents of Ukraine, at the time of publication, only the fifth president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, still held the Order of the White Eagle. Before Yushchenko, the second president of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, had declined the order.
