Poland Did Not Strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle – Former Minister
Poland has not officially decided to strip Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, the country’s former foreign minister said on June 26. According to him, despite political tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv, the award remains valid, and the conflict itself could have long-term consequences for bilateral relations.
Poland has not formally completed the procedure to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle. A final decision requires the signature of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, said former Polish Foreign Minister (2018–2020) Jacek Czaputowicz.
Chaputowicz emphasized that, from a legal standpoint, the process of revoking the award has not reached its final stage.
The Polish government had no intention of completing the procedure to revoke the award. However, Ukrainian officials returned the orders on their own initiative, he noted.
According to the former minister, the situation surrounding the awards has become more of a political gesture than a finalized administrative decision. He also suggested that once tensions between the countries ease, the situation could take a more constructive turn.
“Once emotions have subsided, this could be an opportunity to improve relations,” Chaputovich said.
Separately, he criticized the approach of current Polish President Karol Nawrocki, stating that the latter had misjudged the situation in relations with Ukraine. According to Chaputovich, the attempt to use public pressure to force Kyiv to change the name of a Ukrainian military unit associated with “UPA heroes” was unsuccessful.
“Navrotsky is incapable of understanding cause-and-effect relationships in foreign policy. He thought he could force Zelenskyy to comply through blackmail. But Ukraine is a sovereign country,” he said in a comment to LIGA.net.
In response to the Polish president’s actions, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga stated that he would return his state award to Poland.
Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov reacted to Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to revoke Poland’s highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He called the Polish leader a liar and a manipulator.
Oleg Tyahnybok, leader of the All-Ukrainian Union “Svoboda,” recalled the events in the village of Sahryn—now a village in Poland’s Lublin Voivodeship—where between 600 and 1,240 Ukrainians were killed and tortured in March 1944.
