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The European Parliament on Wednesday approved an amendment that criticised Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to rename an elite Ukrainian military unit after the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a move that has sparked a diplomatic dispute with Poland.
A large majority of MEPs voted in favor of the amendment, which expressed regret over the “recent unnecessary and unprovoked escalation” by the Ukrainian president, while recalling Poland’s steadfast support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.
It was tabled by a Polish MEP from the European People’s Party, Andrzej Halicki, together with his German colleague Michael Gahler, and included in a report assessing Ukraine’s path to EU membership.
In Ukraine, the UPA is widely commemorated for its role in opposing Soviet rule and fighting for Ukrainian independence.
But in Poland, it is widely associated with the Volyn massacre of 1943–45, during which tens of thousands of Poles were killed under Nazi occupation. Poland has recognized the massacre as a genocide, a label Ukraine has rejected.
In response to Zelenskyy’s decision, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped the Ukrainian president of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state honor, which had been awarded to him in 2023.
The diplomatic dispute affected the latest Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, where Zelenskyy was replaced by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. It could also affect public support in Poland for Ukraine’s EU membership bid, with 60% of Polish citizens opposing it, according to a recent poll.
Zelenskyy recently admitted there have been “some internal questions” between Ukraine and Poland linked to “difficulties in our history”, urging the two sides to close ranks against Russia and live more “in the future than in the past.”
Wide support for condemnation in the Parliament
The Parliament’s text expresses regret over what it calls “the disregard for Polish sensitivities and grief linked to the UPA’s estimated tens of thousands of victims and their families” in Zelenskyy’s decision.
MEPs also consider that Zelenskyy’s decision “undermines neighbourly relations” and “is not in line with European values,” calling for de-escalation and reconciliation between Kyiv and Warsaw.
“[It is] a very strong signal, it’s a warning to Ukrainian authorities not to create bad emotions and not to act against European values,” MEP Halicki told Euronews after the vote. “They have to think about how to be a part of our Union. If they would like to be [part of it], they have to respect the common rules,” he said.
Despite the amendment on the UPA military unit, the Parliament’s resolution reiterates support for Ukraine against Russia’s aggression and acknowledges the country’s progress towards accession to the EU.
Lawmakers stated that “Ukraine’s future lies in the EU” and recognised Ukraine’s European integration as “a strategic priority for the Union”.
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