Conference on Poland in Kiev. What did high-ranking officials find?

On Thursday, a meeting devoted to the development of relations with Poland was held at the Office of the President of Ukraine in Kiev. The meeting was chaired by the head of the President's Office, Kyrylo Budanov, and attended by deputies, officials and experts dealing with relations with Poland.

Iryna Vereshchuk, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, presented the conclusions she drew from the talks on Facebook. "We share common interests in the field of security with Poles. Security is the basis. The foundation of our partnership should be pragmatism in security matters," she wrote.

The official believes that cooperation in defense should be given priority. She concluded that systematic military cooperation and cooperation between defense industries should be consistently and faster developed.

"A strong partnership in the defense industry will give an additional impetus to economic cooperation in the civilian sector. Together, they will create a more solid basis for cultural and humanitarian ties," she emphasized.

Iryna Vereshchuk expressed the view that such cooperation could lead to a change in the agenda in mutual relations. "For this to happen, it must be systemic and large-scale," she said.

"All this requires political will and daily, diligent work. When it comes to the security of two nations, politicians and officials of both countries are obliged to demonstrate political will and undertake this work," concluded the deputy head of the Office of the President, Volodymyr Zelensky.

The dispute over the UPA intensifies relations between Poland and Ukraine

Recently, Iryna Vereshchuk criticized the decision of the Lviv Regional Council to designate 2027 as the year of the UPA and its commander Roman Shukhevych. She appealed to the local authorities to avoid actions that could worsen relations with our country, which is a key ally of Ukraine in the war with Russia.

Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski announced a five-year ban on entry to Poland and the Schengen area for councilor Światosław Szeremeta, the author of this initiative. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs admitted that the resolution of Lviv councilors hinders historical dialogue with Warsaw.

UPA and Shukhevych remain one of the most difficult topics in Polish-Ukrainian relations. Poland considers the crimes committed against Poles in Volhynia as genocide, while in Ukraine the OUN and UPA are sometimes perceived as symbols of the fight for independence. Despite the tensions, Kiev announces actions to normalize relations with Poland and intensify contacts in November.