Sikorski announced private talks with Ukraine regarding the UPA Heroes unit
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski announced that private consultations are underway with Ukraine regarding the possible naming of one of the Special Operations Forces units after the “Heroes of the UPA.” According to him, this issue is being discussed through diplomatic channels.
Sikorski expressed hope that Ukraine would find “a way to correct this mistake.”
During a meeting with residents of Tarnogród (Lublin Voivodeship), Sikorski was asked about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to name a Special Operations Forces unit “Heroes of the UPA.”
“I believe that President Zelenskyy made a mistake,” said the Polish foreign minister.
According to him, “history is complex, and not all heroes should be honored by other countries, but there are limits.”
“I would have expected the Ukrainian side to take our sensitivities into account. For them, the UPA is associated with resistance against Soviet rule, while for us, it is associated with Volhynia,” the Polish minister added.
Sikorski also noted that behind-the-scenes negotiations are ongoing and expressed hope that the Ukrainian side would find “some way to correct this mistake.”
In his view, Poland has the right to be disappointed and demand a correction, but Russian disinformation must not be allowed to drive a wedge between the two countries.
“Because then both Ukraine and Poland will lose,” the minister added.
The statement by the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry was reported by Polsat News.
Prior to this, Poland warnedRussia of the consequences of strikes on diplomatic missions in Kyiv.
Poland has receivedpreliminary approval from the U.S. to produce missiles for the Patriot system.
The U.S. will provide Poland with a $2 billion loan to purchase weapons: F-35 fighter jets, Patriot air defense systems, and Abrams tanks.
Earlier, Poland signed an agreement with the U.S. to supply 96 AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters, along with a logistics and training package, for a total of $10 billion.
