Donald Tusk warns of strategic damage from Poland-Ukraine diplomatic rift

The tension intensified after Karol Nawrocki, the Polish official overseeing state honors, revoked the Order of the White Eagle previously awarded to Volodymyr Zelenskiy. This decision triggered a retaliatory wave of protests, with three former Ukrainian presidents and several senior officials returning their own Polish state awards in solidarity. The friction stems from Zelenskiy’s recent decision to name a Ukrainian army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a group held responsible for the massacre of Poles during the 1940s.

Tusk, who leads a coalition government distinct from the nationalist Law and Justice party aligned with Nawrocki, characterized the escalating friction as a self-inflicted wound. He noted that he is actively working with European partners to contain the fallout. For his part, Zelenskiy defended the naming of the military unit as a prerogative of his soldiers, emphasizing that the survival of Poland is inextricably linked to the defense of Ukraine. He warned that allowing this political struggle to persist risks a dangerous escalation that neither country can afford.