Zelensky Mocks Polish President, Threatens "Bad End" Amid Award Row

MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky issued threats toward Polish President Karol Nawrocki, mocking his name and stating that the Polish leader’s rhetoric on Ukraine could "end very badly."

Earlier, Nawrocki announced that he was stripping Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle in connection with the latter’s decision to name a Ukrainian military unit after the "heroes of the UPA" (the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia).

TASS has compiled key information about the situation.

Zelensky’s stripping of order

- Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Vladimir Zelensky of Poland’s highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle.

- According to the Polish leader, the move is linked to Zelensky’s decision to name one of the Ukrainian armed forces’ units after the "heroes of the UPA" (the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, recognized as an extremist organization and banned in Russia).

- Members of the UPA are considered criminals in Poland and are blamed for the 1943 massacre of over 100,000 Polish citizens in Volyn.

- Zelensky was awarded the order by the previous Polish president Andrzej Duda, who was in office in 2015-2025.

- Following this, Zelensky himself announced his refusal of the Polish award, as did former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Pyotr Poroshenko (listed as a person involved in extremist activities or terrorism by Russia’s financial watchdog Rosfinmonitoring).

Zelensky’s statements

- Vladimir Zelensky made threats toward Polish President Karol Nawrocki.

- He stated that the Polish leader’s rhetoric on Ukraine could "end very badly."

- In an interview with TSN TV, Zelensky said that the revocation of his order was part of Nawrocki’s ongoing political battle in Poland, which involves "stoking hatred toward Ukrainians."

- He also confirmed that during their first meeting last December, Nawrocki had given him a book about the Volyn massacre.

- Zelensky said he disapproves of the Polish president’s actions and made a sarcastic remark about his name: "Karol - that’s not his title, it’s his name, right? After all, he doesn’t live in a monarchy, but in a democracy. He needs to work on building relations with Ukraine."

Reactions in Poland, Ukraine

- Former Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski (in office in 2010-2015) called the conflict between the current head of state and Vladimir Zelensky a "war for medals."

- According to him, responsibility for the deterioration of Polish-Ukrainian relations lies with Karol Nawrocki and Zelensky, who have "worked tirelessly" to destroy ties between Warsaw and Kiev.

- Former Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller (in office in 2001-2004) said that Ukraine should return not medals to Warsaw, but rather the weapons and military equipment Poland supplied.

- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called the deepening involvement of politicians in Warsaw and Kiev in the conflict a strategic mistake.

- Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz noted that Polish-Ukrainian relations are "heading in a very bad direction."

- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga stated that Kiev is ready to take reciprocal measures in response to Warsaw's hostile actions.

- According to the top diplomat, Nawrocki "has acted as a destroyer of the positive achievements that both sides have made recently."

International reactions

- Slovak National Council Deputy Speaker Andrej Danko, who is also chairman of the Slovak National Party, a member of the country’s governing coalition, called on Prime Minister Robert Fico to abandon negotiations with Vladimir Zelensky due to the "glorification of Bandera supporters" in Ukraine.

- The senior lawmaker welcomed Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to strip Zelensky of Poland’s highest state honor.

- Nawrocki’s position demonstrates that historical memory and respect for the victims of Nazism must take precedence over the concept of "political correctness" with regard to Ukraine, Danko noted.

- The conflict around the Order of the White Eagle will become an obstacle on Ukraine’s path to the EU, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large for the crimes of the Kiev regime Rodion Miroshnik wrote on his Max channel.

- He opined that, in the context of negotiations on "the accession of what remains of Ukraine to the EU, Warsaw will get its revenge in full and impose a host of demands on the Bandera followers."

- The decision by several former Ukrainian presidents to renounce the Order of the White Eagle after Poland stripped Zelensky of the award due to the controversy surrounding the UPA shows that they are all genuine Nazis, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev told TASS.