Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski announced the signing of a motion to include Svyatoslav Sheremeta, a deputy of the Lviv Regional Council, in the list of persons persona non grata on the territory of Poland. The head of the Polish Foreign Ministry stated this on his social media page on X, as reported by RBC-Ukraine. According to Sikorski, the basis for this step was the «ideas and activities» of the Ukrainian politician.
Justification of Warsaw's decision
In his statement, Sikorski characterized Sheremeta as a «reconstructor of the SS 'Galicia' troops, the author of the idea to establish 2027 as the year of Roman Shukhevych, the UPA commander who issued orders for the eviction and murder of Poles». These very formulations, according to the Polish minister, formed the basis of the decision to add the deputy to the list of undesirable persons. The motion, according to Sikorski's statement, has already been signed and sent to the relevant structures.
Context: decision of the Lviv Regional Council
Warsaw's decision is directly related to the earlier adopted resolution of the Lviv Regional Council proclaiming 2027 as the year of the UPA and Roman Shukhevych. The Polish side demanded an official reaction from Kyiv to this decision, stating that such a resolution «harms Ukraine». In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called the decision of the Lviv Regional Council «counterproductive» and announced the initiation of consideration of appropriate measures at the internal level. Thus, both governments publicly distanced themselves from the initiative of the regional body, but formal cancellation of the resolution is not recorded in the provided materials.
Impact on bilateral relations and defense cooperation
Historical disputes and mutual distrust between Kyiv and Warsaw, according to analysts, continue to complicate relations between the two countries. Experts note that this affects practical aspects of interaction, including defense cooperation — from logistics to ammunition supply. The decline in the level of trust, they say, directly affects joint defense and security projects. The inclusion of the Ukrainian deputy in the list of undesirable persons in Poland could become another factor complicating the political dialogue between the two states amid the ongoing conflict on the territory of Ukraine.
Reaction and prospects
At the time of preparation of the material, no official reaction from Svyatoslav Sheremeta to Sikorski's statement was recorded in the provided sources. There are also no reports on the specific deadlines for the decision to enter into force or on possible diplomatic consequences for bilateral negotiations. The situation remains in development, and further steps by both parties will depend on whether they manage to reduce the intensity of the historical and political conflict without prejudice to practical cooperation.
