Poland strips Zelensky of top honour over wartime history row

Polish President Karol Nawrocki has decided to revoke Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle after Kyiv named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a nationalist force Poland holds responsible for massacres of Poles during World War II, reported Xinhua.

In a video posted on social media platform X on Friday, Nawrocki called Ukraine's move "outrageous, incomprehensible and deeply disappointing."

He said the decision was damaging Polish-Ukrainian relations by promoting a historical legacy linked to wartime crimes, adding that revoking the order was "not only symbolic but also a warning signal."

The Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state decoration, was awarded to Zelensky in 2023.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha later called Nawrocki's decision a "strategic mistake," saying it was unjustified, impulsive and disrespectful toward both Zelensky and Ukraine.