Against the backdrop of a new wave of tension in relations between Kyiv and Warsaw, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Hryhoriy Tsykh, called for preventing historical disagreements from destroying the strategic alliance. According to him, the true beneficiary of any conflict between the two countries remains Russia.

Poland — the first strategic ally

During the briefing, the diplomat reminded that Poland became Ukraine's first ally to provide support from the very first hours of the full-scale invasion. Despite current frictions, Tsykh emphasized that over the past year and a half, the sides have been able to make a significant step towards each other. Search and exhumation operations have been resumed, and after a long break, the Congress of Historians of Ukraine and Poland has started working again.

The MFA spokesperson formulated the key choice facing the two countries:

  • If looking for reasons for separation in the past, they will certainly be found.
  • If looking for grounds for unity in the face of a common enemy, they will also be found.

"We would like to focus, of course, on the second part," noted Tsykh, urging the sides to look for points of unity in history, not quarrels.

The conference in Gdańsk will take place as planned

An important signal of stability was the spokesperson's confirmation that the conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in Gdańsk will take place in the normal mode. "As planned, as it was going — we hope that the conference will take place successfully," he added.

Roots of the conflict and partners' reaction

The reason for the escalation was the decree of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on granting the name of the UPA heroes to a unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk previously called on the leaders of the two countries to hold direct negotiations, warning that emotions could destroy solidarity against the backdrop of Russian aggression.

The European Commission also expressed concern, stating that bilateral disputes should not affect Kyiv's path to European integration. At the same time, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski spoke in defense of the Polish order awarded to President Zelenskyy, comparing the situation to the awarding of the former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.