Poland may cut military aid to Ukraine amid WWII history dispute
Tensions over the honoring of a Ukrainian Insurgent Army unit, responsible for WWII massacres of Poles, have led to political clashes in Warsaw and raised doubts about future arms deliveries to Kyiv.
Relations between Poland and Ukraine have soured sharply after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA" to a military unit. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) is blamed for killing up to 100,000 Polish civilians during World War II. Poland observes a national day of remembrance for the victims on Saturday.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Poland has been a key military ally, providing weapons and equipment. But a growing dispute over history is now threatening that support. Poland's far-right opposition is attacking the center-right government over the transfer of Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine, accusing it of endangering Poland's own defense.
President Karol Nawrocki said after a meeting with Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday that historical issues remain unresolved. "Glorification of the UPA is nonnegotiable," he stated, adding that he is skeptical about Ukraine's EU ambitions.
In response to opposition criticism, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz published previously classified data showing that Poland has spent 16.45 billion zloty (€3.8 billion) on military aid since the war began, with 14.9 billion zloty allocated under the previous government in 2022-2023.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution calling Zelenskyy's honor an unnecessary escalation. Nawrocki responded by revoking Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle, which the Ukrainian president returned. Meanwhile, Ukraine's parliament passed a law to establish a National Pantheon honoring historical figures, including UPA-linked units.
July 11 is Poland's official day of remembrance for the Volhynia massacre. Zelenskyy's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, expects tensions to rise around that date.
