Diplomatic friction between Kyiv and Warsaw, which has flared up in recent months, stems not only from historical reasons but also from purely political ones. Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy, in an interview with RBK-Ukraine, stated that a significant portion of the tension is provoked by the pre-election race in Poland. In his opinion, Ukrainians should not fall for information provocations but should focus on the main task — winning the war.
Election arithmetic and information attacks
Andriy Sadovy directly linked the rise of anti-Ukrainian sentiments in Polish society to the approaching parliamentary elections in the neighboring country. The official believes that certain politicians are using the topic of historical disagreements to win the favor of the electorate.
«We all understand perfectly well that the next parliamentary elections have started in Poland. There will be quite a lot of such information attacks in the coming months, so we must maintain a cool head», — noted the city mayor.
Sadovy called on Ukrainian society to «grind their teeth», do their job well, and not react to attempts at manipulation. «We need to win the war today, we need to survive», — he emphasized.
Personal experience and «Banderite» labels
During the conversation, the journalist reminded the mayor of the sharp statements by the leader of the Polish conservative movement, Lech Kaczyński, who previously called Sadovy a «Banderite» and accused him of not paying a Polish company. Sadovy responded calmly, noting that he has many Polish colleagues in his circle who do not use such rhetoric.
«I have many acquaintances in Poland, especially among city mayors. We call each other, communicate, and they have no complaints», — said the Lviv mayor, demonstrating the existence of working communication channels at the local level, despite the official crisis.
Zelensky's diplomatic maneuver
Separately, Sadovy assessed the actions of President Volodymyr Zelensky during the recent diplomatic incident. At the end of May, tension arose between the countries after a special unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was awarded the honorary title «Heroes of the UPA». Warsaw, which holds the Ukrainian Insurgent Army responsible for the Volhynian tragedy, reacted extremely painfully to this. In response, Polish leader Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle.
Sadovy believes that Zelensky's refusal of the order was a worthy step that allowed to relieve excessive pressure on Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (the text mentions Tusk, however, the context points to the situation with the order where Morawiecki was involved, but we rely on the text: «relieved a lot of pressure from Prime Minister Tusk»). «I believe that President Zelensky acted quite worthily... Therefore, I want to believe that all this will evaporate like dew in the sun», — concluded the Lviv mayor, expressing hope for the speedy resolution of the political crisis.
