Former Presidents of Ukraine Refused Polish Orders of the White Eagle After Zelensky Was Deprived of the Award

Poroshenko. Former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko stated that he decided to refuse the Order of the White Eagle after the Polish authorities took it away from the current Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. According to him, the award was intended not for Zelensky personally, but for the Ukrainian military. 'In both Zelensky's case and mine, the award was for Ukrainians, our soldiers defending Ukraine, Poland, and all of Europe, not heads of state. Therefore, I decided to refuse the Order of the White Eagle. Two weeks ago, I promised colleagues at the conciliation council to take this step if we failed to convince President Navrotski not to make a wrong decision. Unfortunately, we did not succeed,' Poroshenko wrote. He noted that his step is in no way directed at the Polish people, and Ukraine and Poland will continue to be partners. Yushchenko. The day before, the third President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, also refused the Order of the White Eagle. He also stated that the Polish authorities presented the award to Zelensky as a sign of respect for the Ukrainian people, and attempts to review this decision 'go beyond the scope of relations with one politician.' Kuchma. In addition, the second President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma, refused the Polish order. He called the decision of the President of Poland to deprive Zelensky of the award an 'unfriendly step.' At the same time, the politician expressed the opinion that this act would not negate the friendship between the countries. Context. On Friday, Polish President Karol Nawrocki deprived Zelensky of the country's highest state award – the Order of the White Eagle. The decision was made after Ukraine conferred the honorary title 'Heroes of UPA' (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) on one of the units of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Against this background, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha, announced that he is refusing his own award 'For Merit to Poland,' received from the Polish president in 2022. In Poland, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army is accused of mass killings of Poles. For many Ukrainians, the UPA is a symbol of the struggle for independence, journalists emphasize.