Poland is in no hurry to respond to Ukraine's National Pantheon
The Polish government will not make any strong statements for the time being following the announcement of the creation of the Ukrainian National Pantheon. Warsaw wants to first see exactly whom Ukraine plans to honor, and only then will it determine its position.
Polish authorities do not plan to rush their response to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s initiative to create a Ukrainian National Pantheon. According to Onet, Warsaw has decided to wait for the finalization of the project and the list of people Ukraine will honor before drawing any conclusions.
On June 28, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that he had submitted a bill to the Verkhovna Rada on the creation of the Ukrainian National Pantheon. According to him, it will be a memorial to those who, at various times, fought for Ukraine’s freedom and independence. While announcing this initiative, the head of state also made a political statement that came against the backdrop of long-standing historical disputes between Kyiv and Warsaw. “No one will tell Ukrainians which heroes to honor,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
It was this statement that caught the attention of the Polish side. However, neither Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk nor Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has publicly commented on it yet. According to Onet, the Polish government deliberately decided not to respond immediately. Officials there believe that an overly emotional reaction could only exacerbate the situation and allow Poland to be portrayed as a country trying to impose its own view of history on Ukraine.
Therefore, Warsaw has now opted for a different tactic—to first see exactly who will be inducted into the National Pantheon. “Summoning the ambassador or sending a diplomatic note makes no sense at this point. We cannot allow the Ukrainians to provoke us,” a senior Polish government official told Onet on condition of anonymity.
Polish authorities acknowledge that the list of names will be the key factor. If historical figures associated in Poland with the Volhynia tragedy are included in the pantheon, this could severely complicate relations between the two countries. The publication’s sources note that in such a case, the Polish government would come under intense political pressure. Both opposition parties and a segment of Polish society would demand a response.
One Onet source specifically mentioned the name of Stepan Bandera. According to this source, the Polish government is already receiving indications that he may be among those they plan to honor. “I don’t want to name specific individuals who would be unacceptable to us at this time, but we are already receiving indications that Stepan Bandera may appear on the list. That would be critical news for our relations,” the source told the publication. There is currently no official list of people planned for inclusion in the Ukrainian National Pantheon. Likewise, there has been no official reaction from the Polish government to the possible list of names.
Thus, Warsaw is taking a wait-and-see approach for now. The Polish authorities do not want to jump to conclusions and plan to assess the situation only after it becomes clear exactly whom Ukraine decides to honor in the National Pantheon. This was reported by Onet, citing sources in the Polish government.
