Poland has threatened to block Ukraine’s accession to the EU over the OUN and the UPA
Vladyslav Kosiniak-Kamysz made this statement in an interview with Polsat News. Onet and Ukrainian media outlets have also reported on the tensions in relations between Kyiv and Warsaw.
Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that Ukraine would face problems with its accession to the European Union if it continued to use the OUN and UPA as part of its state policy on remembrance.
According to him, Poland will take a hard line and demand that Kyiv stop honouring figures from the Ukrainian nationalist movement, in particular Stepan Bandera.
“With Bandera, Ukraine will not join the European Union. No one will tell us how to vote on the accession of any country to the EU,” the Polish minister said.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz has been Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence since 2023.
Why this sparked a new row
A new wave of tension arose following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to award an honorary title to one of the Special Operations Forces units in honour of the Heroes of the UPA.
In Poland, this decision provoked a sharp reaction due to the historical assessment of the UPA’s activities. For a significant section of Polish society, this issue is linked to the Volhynia tragedy of 1943.
Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that European cooperation is impossible if a country honours figures or movements which, in his words, cause pain to neighbouring states.
How the National Pantheon fits into this
A particular source of irritation in Warsaw was Zelenskyy’s announcement regarding the draft bill on the creation of the Ukrainian National Pantheon.
On 28 June, Constitution Day, the President of Ukraine tabled a bill on the National Pantheon in the Verkhovna Rada, intended to honour outstanding figures from Ukrainian history.
Following this, the Polish publication Onet, citing anonymous government officials, reported that Warsaw had interpreted Zelenskyy’s remarks as a signal that Kyiv had no intention of backing down on matters of historical policy.
According to Onet, some Polish officials believe this could further strain relations between Ukraine and Poland.
What does this mean for Ukraine?
The Polish minister’s statement is significant because Ukraine’s accession to the EU requires the consent of all member states.
If Poland does indeed decide to block the negotiation process or specific stages of European integration, this could create additional political risks for Kyiv.
At the same time, this is currently merely a political statement by the Polish minister, rather than a formal EU decision or an officially initiated blocking procedure.
Why the issue of the OUN and UPA is so sensitive for Poland
This is precisely why any decisions by Kyiv to honour the OUN, the UPA or figures associated with them are often perceived in Poland not as Ukraine’s domestic historical policy, but as a matter of bilateral relations.
For Ukraine, this dispute also has a practical dimension: Poland remains a member of the EU and NATO, an important neighbour and one of Ukraine’s key partners on matters of security, logistics and support for Ukrainians abroad.
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