Polish Deputy PM draws red line in historical dispute during meeting with Budanov
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said after a meeting in Warsaw with Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov that “the memory of the Volhynia victims is not subject to negotiation.”
He made the statement on X, stressing that “there are boundaries that must not be crossed,” Ukrinform reports.
“Poland and Ukraine are partners in security matters. But in matters of history, we must tell each other the truth, because only in this way can we build the future. Today, during a meeting with General Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the President’s Office of Volodymyr Zelensky, I clearly presented Poland's expectations regarding the decision to name one of the military units after the UPA. The memory of the Volhynia victims is not subject to negotiation. There are boundaries that must not be crossed,” Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote.
Meanwhile, Marcin Przydacz, head of the Office of International Policy under the President of Poland, said his conversation with Budanov focused on bilateral issues, particularly historical matters.
“I presented the Polish position on this matter to the Ukrainian side in an appropriate manner,” Przydacz told the Polish state news agency PAP.
He added that the Ukrainian side was aware of the reaction the issue had provoked in Poland and remained interested in dialogue.
“I declared my readiness for further talks and indicated the expectations on the Polish side that such dialogue could yield positive results,” he said.
According to unofficial sources in the Polish Presidential Palace cited by PAP, the conversation between Przydacz and Budanov ended “without any specifics.”
As reported by Ukrinform, on May 27, President Zelensky granted the honorary title “named after the Heroes of the UPA” to the Separate Special Operations Center North.
Poland’s Foreign Ministry condemned the decision.
Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Mishchenko and Poland’s Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine Piotr Łukasiewicz later discussed public perceptions in both countries regarding the naming of the Special Operations Forces unit.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated that the history of the Polish and Ukrainian peoples contains both glorious and tragic chapters, but emphasized that honoring the heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) was not intended as an anti-Polish gesture.
Photo: X / Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz