Zelensky Skips June 25 Gdansk Conference as Poland Revokes Honor Over UPA Dispute
Updated
Updated · Kyiv Independent · Jun 24
Zelensky Skips June 25 Gdansk Conference as Poland Revokes Honor Over UPA Dispute
3 articles · Updated · Kyiv Independent · Jun 24
Summary
Zelensky will miss the June 25-26 Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk after a row erupted over his decision to name a military unit after the wartime UPA.
Poland’s president responded by revoking the country’s highest state honor previously awarded to Zelensky, turning a historical grievance into a fresh diplomatic rupture between Kyiv and Warsaw.
Donald Tusk has tried to stay above the clash, calling it a strategic blunder that benefits Moscow, but 51% of Poles backed stripping Zelensky of the award, limiting his room to push back.
Karol Nawrocki, who won the 2025 presidential runoff by 1.7%, has used the dispute to press a harder anti-Ukraine line as Poland’s divided politics and late-2027 parliamentary race tighten pressure on Tusk.
The episode also feeds criticism that Poland’s strong support for Ukraine has not translated into enough diplomatic influence, after earlier complaints that Warsaw was sidelined from key talks.
Can Tusk mend ties with Kyiv while battling a hard-right president at home before the 2027 elections?
As historical grievances fracture the Polish-Ukrainian alliance, who really benefits from this escalating diplomatic fallout?
Poland–Ukraine Diplomatic Crisis 2026: Historical Grievances, Revoked Honors, and the Threat to Regional Unity
Overview
In June 2026, relations between Poland and Ukraine faced a sudden crisis when Ukrainian President Zelenskyy did not attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Gdańsk, an event meant to secure crucial reconstruction investments for Ukraine. The situation worsened as Polish President Karol Nawrocki was excluded from the conference, highlighting deepening tensions between the two countries. This diplomatic rift overshadowed the conference’s goals and signaled a significant shift in high-level cooperation, raising concerns about the future of Polish-Ukrainian relations at a critical time for Ukraine’s recovery.