Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki said on Sunday that if people such as Stepan Bandera or Roman Shukhevych appear in Ukraine’s National Pantheon, this will significantly worsen Ukraine’s relations with Poland and "it will have a serious problem," UNN writes, citing RMF24.
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The initiative regarding the Pantheon reportedly "causes concern in Poland."
On Saturday, speaking at the annual Veterans Forum in Kyiv, the President of Ukraine reiterated that the Pantheon would honor figures whose work for independence "inspires Ukrainians to be strong today." He repeated that only Ukrainians would decide who would be included in the Pantheon.
"The Ukrainian Pantheon will definitely be created, and only Ukrainians will decide who is a hero for us," he said.
Marcin Bosacki was asked about the issue on TVP Info on Sunday evening. In his response, the Polish deputy foreign minister stressed that "it is clear that every nation and its government have the right to choose the heroes they consider appropriate."
However, if figures "such as (Stepan) Bandera or (Roman) Shukhevych do indeed appear in Ukraine’s National Pantheon, this will significantly worsen Ukraine’s relations not only with Poland, but also with Europe as a whole," the Polish deputy foreign minister said.