Kaczyński Wants to Reclaim the Order of the Wise Amid Tensions with Ukraine
The leader of Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) party, Jarosław Kaczyński, stated that he intends to return to Ukraine the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, Second Class, which he had previously been awarded, amid deteriorating relations between the two countries.
According to the politician, he views this decision as a way to express his stance toward the Ukrainian government.
“I, too, will return the order, because I hold a fairly high rank. The Order of Yaroslav the Wise is the highest order, with the exception of the First Class, since I am not the president. I hold the Second Class. This will be an expression of my attitude, perhaps not so much toward Ukrainians as toward the Ukrainian elite,” Kaczyński stated during a press conference.
He added that his decision is also a sign of loyalty to the Polish president. At the same time, Kaczyński accused Ukraine of escalating tensions in bilateral relations.
During his conversation with journalists, the PiS leader was asked about his stance on the Conference on Ukraine’s Recovery, which is taking place in Poland.
In response, Kaczyński criticized the participation of Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi.
“The mayor of Lviv is present at this conference, and regardless of the fact that he is an avowed Bandera supporter, he is a person who does not pay a Polish company for work already performed,” the politician stated.
He also noted that the Ukrainian official’s participation in the event in Gdańsk, in his opinion, reflects Ukraine’s attitude toward Poland.
“We shouldn’t harbor any illusions,” Kaczyński emphasized.
At the same time, the Polish government believes that President Karol Nawrocki may have deliberately announced the decision to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle on the eve of the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Gdańsk in order to influence the course of the event.
This was reported by the Polish media outlet RMF24.
Earlier, Polish authorities confirmed receipt of the Order of the White Eagle, which, according to media reports, had been returned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The award will subsequently be transferred to the relevant state agency for safekeeping, where it will be stored as one of the country’s highest honors.
On June 20, former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko also announced his refusal of the Polish state order, emphasizing that this step was not directed against the Polish people; at the same time, he also made critical remarks about incumbent President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Earlier, Zelenskyy had sent Navrotsky the Order of the White Eagle via Nova Poshta.
Following this, Leonid Kuchma also declined the Polish Order of the White Eagle.
Ukraine’s third president, Viktor Yushchenko, also declined the Polish Order of the White Eagle.
In addition, Borys Tarasyuk will return his Polish order due to Navrotsky’s policies.
