Polish media are reporting that Zelenskyy will visit Gdańsk despite the scandal surrounding *Heroes of the UPA*
This is reported by the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, citing a source within the Polish government.
According to the journalists’ source, on 16 June the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a note from the Ukrainian side regarding Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s attendance at the conference on Ukraine’s reconstruction, which is to take place on 25–26 June in Gdańsk.
Due to the conflict between Poland and Ukraine over the naming of a military unit in honour of UPA heroes, Zelenskyy’s visit to Poland had been in doubt. Journalists sought details of the conference, particularly regarding the arrival of high-profile guests, including the President of Ukraine and other heads of government; however, no official response to this question has been received from the Ukrainian side.
A few days ago, Mykyta Poturaiev, an MP from the ‘Servant of the People’ party, stated in an interview with PAP that the President of Ukraine ‘is due to be’ in Gdańsk. ‘Such plans exist, and I know that we are all planning to attend. Although I cannot speak on his behalf,” he emphasised.
A source within the Polish government has now also confirmed to journalists that Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be attending the conference in Gdańsk.
The row between Ukraine and Poland: what we know
On 26 May, Zelenskyy issued a decree granting the ‘North’ Special Operations Centre of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine the honorary title ‘Named after the Heroes of the UPA’. The document states that the aim of this decision is to ‘restore the historical traditions of the national army’.
This decree by the Ukrainian president has drawn significant criticism from some Polish politicians, who have condemned it, pointing out that the UPA committed crimes against Poles in Volhynia.
In particular, former Polish President Lech Wałęsa, who had supported Ukraine and Zelenskyy himself, also condemned the Ukrainian president and stated that he would remove the lapel pin in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, which he had been wearing since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The Polish Institute of National Remembrance also reacted, issuing a statement which held the UPA responsible for the ‘genocide in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia’ and emphasised that “the Ukrainian authorities’ promotion of a cult surrounding the Ukrainian Insurgent Army should be met with opposition by all those who remember the activities of this organisation”.
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