Poland has stated that it may block Ukraine's accession to the EU
A political statement has been made in Poland that could complicate Ukraine’s path to European integration. Yaroslav Kaczyński, leader of the Law and Justice Party, proposed blocking new rounds of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU. At the same time, he emphasized that this is his personal position, not the party’s official line.
Polish politician Jarosław Kaczyński stated that, in his opinion, Poland should begin blocking the next stages of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. He clarified, however, that he was not representing his party’s official position but rather expressing his own view of the situation. “In my opinion—and I am speaking here as an individual, not on behalf of the party, since no such decision has been made by the party leadership—Poland should begin blocking the next rounds of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union,” Kaczyński said.
At the same time, he emphasized that support for Ukraine in the war against Russia remains important and is in line with Poland’s strategic interests. According to him, aid to Kyiv must continue, even despite political disputes. “I traveled to Kyiv to show my support because I remain a strong advocate for Ukraine receiving support and winning this war. This aligns with our strategic interests. But Ukraine must know: if it wants to join Europe—and the EU is a European organization—then it must be a normal European state and cannot have perpetrators of genocide on its flags, especially perpetrators of extremely brutal genocide,” he stated.
Kaczyński also added that the issue of accountability for historical crimes must include both legal consequences and financial obligations. “Poles are a people just like any others. Those responsible for their murder must be punished, and at the same time, financial obligations must be fulfilled. This concerns reparations from Germany,” the politician noted. This was reported by Rzeczpospolita.
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 the Lublin Voivodeship of Poland—where between 600 and 1,240 Ukrainians were killed and tortured in March 1944.
