Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki revokes Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s receipt of Poland’s highest state honor, escalating a dispute over the naming of a Ukrainian military unit. The controversy centers on Kyiv’s approval to name a unit after members of the UPA, a World War II-era Ukrainian insurgent movement that is widely described in Polish reporting as responsible for massacres of Poles. Several outlets report that Nawrocki framed the decision as a response to what he viewed as an unacceptable commemoration.

Ukrainian officials and commentators criticize the Polish move. In response to the row, Ukraine signals diplomatic pushback, including steps described by outlets such as Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha returning a Polish award received in 2022.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has appealed for both countries not to “waste” solidarity amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and outlets describe his efforts to manage tensions between allied partners. The dispute underscores how historical memory disputes are affecting current wartime diplomacy.