Poland-Ukraine 'honours war' deepens as Ukrainian officials return Polish awards
After Poland's president stripped his Ukrainian counterpart of the country's highest state honour, current and former Ukrainian officials have begun returning their own Polish awards. Euronews reports the row is straining ties between the two key allies.
The row that began when Poland's president stripped Ukraine of state honours entered a new phase yesterday. According to Euronews, after Polish president Karol Nawrocki revoked Volodymyr Zelenskyy's award, several current and former Ukrainian officials began returning their own Polish decorations.
The tension follows a renewed flare-up this week over the long-running historical dispute about the Volhynia massacres of the Second World War in what is now western Ukraine. Polish officials say Kyiv has not done enough to mark the events officially; Ukrainian officials say the Polish leader's framing falls short of behaviour expected from an ally.
Diplomatic channels are reported open, with a bilateral meeting planned on the sidelines of this week's NATO foreign ministers' gathering in Brussels. The EU wants Poland's role as a transit country for arms shipments to Ukraine preserved. The Polish government says the dispute will remain symbolic and that military assistance decisions will not be affected.
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