Duda commented on the possible revocation of Poland's highest honor from Zelensky
Former Polish President Andrzej Duda commented on the debate surrounding the possible revocation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle—Poland’s highest state honor.
In an interview with Polish media, Duda noted that the decision to award the Ukrainian leader was made in the spring of 2023 under circumstances that were significantly different from the current ones.
“Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the Order of the White Eagle at a different time and under different conditions. Now they have changed, as has Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s behavior. And that is obvious,” the former Polish president stated.
At the same time, Duda emphasized that the issue of potentially revoking the award is not within his purview. According to him, the final decision must be made by the current Polish President, Karol Nawrocki.
“Of course, the president will listen to the chapter’s opinion and, when making a decision, will certainly take all circumstances and facts into account. And they are varied—not all are remembered, not all are widely known, and not all are visible in the current atmosphere,” Duda noted.
Recently, discussions in Poland regarding Ukrainian-Polish relations and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s role in them have intensified. Against this backdrop, certain political forces and public figures have raised the question of whether it is appropriate for the President of Ukraine to retain Poland’s highest state award.
At the same time, no official decisions regarding the revision of the decree awarding Zelenskyy have been made yet.
The Order of the White Eagle is Poland’s highest state honor and is awarded for outstanding service to the Polish state and society. Volodymyr Zelenskyy received the award in April 2023 for his contribution to the development of Polish-Ukrainian relations and cooperation between the two countries.
In an interview with Onet, Duda recalled that he had awarded Zelenskyy in the spring of 2023 under different circumstances.
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