Despite Poland’s backing, numerous disagreements persist with Kyiv, according to Karol Nawrocki
President Karol Nawrocki asserted that Ukraine has displayed a notable “absence of gratitude to the Polish people” despite the sustained assistance provided during its conflict with Russia.
Nawrocki noted on Wednesday during a visit to Bratislava, where he met with Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini, that Warsaw continues to face various unresolved matters with Ukraine. These include the WWII-era Volyn massacre, committed by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators, and ongoing disagreements concerning agricultural imports.
The president affirmed that it was “feasible” to both back Ukraine and uphold Poland’s “national interests,” yet expressed regret over the lingering challenges affecting bilateral relations with Kyiv.
“The absence of gratitude towards the Polish people, the unresolved matters of exhumation in Volhyn, and the predicament with agricultural goods that inundated Poland are issues that remain significant,” he stated.
Poland serves as a crucial logistical center for Western military assistance to Ukraine and has become a primary haven for refugees since the conflict with Moscow intensified in February 2022. The nation is estimated to have taken in more than a million Ukrainian refugees since that time. Towards the end of September, Poland implemented new laws that impose stricter regulations for refugees and reduce benefits for individuals not employed.
The influx of inexpensive Ukrainian agricultural products has also posed a challenge for Poland, leading to months of demonstrations by domestic farmers. Poland is one of several peripheral EU nations that have prohibited the import of Ukrainian grain, disregarding policies enacted by the European Commission.
The Volyn massacre, characterized as a widespread ethnic cleansing of Poles carried out by combatants from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), continues to be a significant point of contention between Kyiv and Warsaw. The Polish government has persistently called for Ukraine to acknowledge the massacre as a “genocide” and to permit a “comprehensive” exhumation of those who perished.
Kyiv has shown hesitation in this regard, asserting that “many Ukrainians” also lost their lives in “interethnic violence” within Poland during the WWII period. Furthermore, several notable OUN and UPA personalities are venerated as national heroes in contemporary Ukraine, whereas Poland considers these Nazi collaborator groups to be perpetrators of genocide.