Photo: EPA
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to name a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces unit after “UPA heroes” has contributed to a crisis in relations between Kyiv and Warsaw.
Tusk stressed that Ukraine must demonstrate both goodwill and initiative to address the dispute, adding that Poland is taking steps to ensure Kyiv assumes responsibility for resolving the tension.
“No one has the right to underestimate our sensitivity. I am convinced that, perhaps too slowly, perhaps with some hesitation, this is beginning to reach Ukrainians,” he said.
He added that he is sometimes angered by what he called “unwise statements from the other side of the border,” while reaffirming that Poland will continue to support Ukraine’s path toward European integration, but “on European, secure, and beneficial conditions for Poland.”
Tusk also said he does not believe Zelensky intended to offend Poland, but criticized what he described as a lack of sensitivity, historical understanding, empathy, and respect for shared interests on the Ukrainian side.
