Many felt Ukraine was ungrateful to Poland, which opened its borders to millions of Ukrainians fleeing the full-scale Russian invasion, and continues to provide shelter to almost a million refugees.
Some MPs from the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) have called for “a drastic reassessment of relations” with Kyiv.
The leader of the far-right Confederation party, Krzysztof Bosak, has demanded that Warsaw stop funding the Starlink satellite services that Ukraine’s army has come to rely on, as well as blocking Ukraine’s accession to the EU until Kyiv reverses its decision.
Nawrocki himself said Zelensky’s decision showed that “Ukraine is not ready to join the European family”.
Even politicians regarded as “pro-Ukrainian” have strongly condemned Zelensky’s controversial decree.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk has urged Kyiv to look for solutions: “If not, it will mean that not empathy but hard business will determine our relations.”
For Ukraine, the UPA is a symbol of resistance and struggle for independence, even though Warsaw says about 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed in the Volhynia massacres.
The group’s red and black flag is often used by Ukrainian troops on the front line today. That’s why, in his decree, Zelensky said he was using the UPA’s name “with the aim of restoring the historical traditions of the national army”.
Kyiv has not officially responded to the criticism from Poland, although the foreign ministry has stressed it had no intention to cause offence.
But Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, travelled to Warsaw last weekend following Nawrocki’s threat to strip the Ukrainian president of the Order of the White Eagle.
