We expect Ukraine to correct the error regarding 'UPA Heroes' – Sikorski
Kyiv • UNN
Radosław Sikorski placed responsibility on Kyiv for the scandal over the naming of the SSO unit. He expects Ukraine to correct this error on its own.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski placed the responsibility for the scandal caused by naming an SSO unit "Heroes of the UPA" on Ukraine and called on Kyiv to "correct the mistake." This was reported by TVP Info, according to UNN.
Details
Commenting on the tension in relations between Poland and Ukraine following the scandal over the naming of the Defense Forces unit, Sikorski emphasized that Ukraine bears responsibility for the situation.
"Please be guided by the statement of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers that it was Ukraine that made a mistake, and we expect Ukraine to correct this mistake,"
Sikorski also called "scandalous" the statement by Przemysław Czarnek, Vice President of the Law and Justice (PiS) party and the party's candidate for Prime Minister, regarding "keeping Ukrainians in the government who insult Poles," addressed to Deputy Minister of Education Andrzej Szeptycki. The politician, who is of Ukrainian origin, compared UPA fighters to Polish anti-Soviet underground resistance members, which caused Czarnek's outrage.
"Poland is the homeland for all its citizens, regardless of religion or origin, and I believe that such nationalist attacks are a revival of the ghosts of the darkest pages of Polish history. I hope that our compatriots will not be deceived,"
Recall
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy granted one of the units of the Special Operations Forces of the AFU the title "named after the Heroes of the UPA."
Following this, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the decision to grant the Ukrainian SSO unit the title "named after the Heroes of the UPA" causes concern regarding bilateral relations and touches upon historical sensitivities, adding that it "unnecessarily brings the issue of historical differences back to a rather alarming level." Meanwhile, the President of Poland's Institute of National Remembrance, Karol Nawrocki, stated that he is critical of the Ukrainian President's decision and believes that Zelenskyy should be stripped of the Polish Order of the White Eagle.