Zelensky Chief of Staff Renounces Polish Medal as World War Two Row Deepens

KYIV, June 20 (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of staff for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, announced on Saturday he is renouncing a Polish state decoration.

This decision comes one day after Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest honor, previously awarded to the Ukrainian leader.

The diplomatic breakdown stems from a recent decree by Zelenskiy renaming a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). While many in Ukraine view the UPA as a symbol of resistance against Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Poland holds the group responsible for the mass killings of approximately 100,000 ethnic Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during World War II.

Nawrocki stated that the unit’s renaming crossed a significant line. He argued that the move indicates Ukraine is not prepared to join the European family. This historical friction is further complicated by Ukraine’s ongoing moratorium on exhumations of massacre victims, which has been in place since 2017. Polish officials have previously suggested this issue could impact Ukraine’s path toward European Union membership.

Budanov renounced his Golden Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, which he had been awarded in 2025. He labeled the revocation of the Ukrainian president’s honor as a strategic mistake that ultimately serves the interests of Moscow.

“Our nations have long-standing relations and different pages of history – both heroic and tragic,” he posted on social media. “However, this should be an occasion for deep reflection, not crude political speculation.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also criticized the move, describing it as a strategic error. Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a political rival of Nawrocki, has called for calm between the two nations. The standoff highlights a divide within Polish politics, as the current administration navigates historical memory alongside the need for a pragmatic military alliance with Kyiv against Russia.