Zelensky sent back the Order of the “White Eagle” to the Polish president via “Nova Poshta”: why the dispute over the past has become a question of war

On June 20, 2026, Volodymyr Zelensky made a gesture that is hard to call a usual diplomatic response.

After the decision of the President of Poland Karol Nawrocki to strip him of the Order of the White Eagle — Poland’s highest state award — the President of Ukraine announced that he sent the order back to the Polish president.

The published photo shows an international waybill from ‘Nova Poshta’. It indicates a shipment from Ukraine, the city of Kyiv, and a destination in Poland — Warsaw, to the address Kancelaria Prezydenta, ul. Wiejska 10. The recipient is listed as Karol Nawrocki, and the description of the parcel states ‘Medals and other awards’. On the right side of the form, the type of shipment ‘Parcel / Посилка’ and the weight of 3.05 kg are also visible. Some personal data and the waybill number on the published photo are obscured or unreadable.

But the meaning of this step is much broader than a dispute over an award, protocol, or personal offense.

It is about a painful clash of memory, war, and politics.

For Poland, the topic of UPA, Volhynia, and Eastern Galicia remains one of the most severe historical traumas of the 20th century. For Ukraine, which has been fighting a full-scale war against Russia for five years, state symbols of resistance have become part of military identity and the struggle for independence.

It is at this junction that a new crisis arose between Kyiv and Warsaw — two countries whose alliance became one of the key factors of European security after February 24, 2022.

The order, which in Kyiv was considered an award to the Ukrainian people

On April 5, 2023, Volodymyr Zelensky was on an official visit to Warsaw. The then-President of Poland Andrzej Duda presented him with the Order of the White Eagle — the highest state award of the Republic of Poland.

At that moment, it seemed like a strong symbol of Polish-Ukrainian unity.

Poland was one of the countries that opened its doors to millions of Ukrainians from the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, became the main logistical corridor for aid to Ukraine, and at the societal level showed rare solidarity with the neighboring people.

Therefore, in Kyiv, the order was perceived not only as a personal award to Zelensky. In the Ukrainian understanding, it was a sign of respect for the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian army, and the millions of people who found themselves on the front line of the war against Russian aggression.

This is what Zelensky emphasized in his statement on June 20, 2026.

He wrote that Ukraine believed: in 2023, the Order of the White Eagle was addressed not just to the president, but to the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian army. After the decision of the Polish side, Zelensky announced that he sent the order to the President of Poland.

It was not just a formality. It was a political response: if the symbol of respect for Ukrainian resistance is now being reconsidered, Ukraine will not hold on to the award itself.

Why Poland reacted sharply

The immediate reason for the conflict was Ukraine’s decision to assign an honorary title to one of its military units, associated with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

For the Ukrainian side, this decision fits into the logic of restoring national military tradition and resisting Russian imperial policy. Especially now, when Russia is waging a war against Ukraine not only for territories but also for the right of Ukrainians to their own history, language, memory, and statehood.

But for Poland, a name associated with the UPA sounds different.

In Polish historical memory, the UPA is primarily associated with the mass killings of the Polish population in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during World War II. The Polish parliament recognized these events as genocide. For a significant part of Polish society, this is not an archival dispute of historians, but an unhealed national trauma.

That is why Kyiv’s decision caused a harsh reaction in Warsaw.

President of Poland Karol Nawrocki announced the stripping of Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle. At the same time, the Polish side emphasized that such a decision does not mean Poland’s refusal to support Ukraine in the war against Russia.

But in Kyiv, this step was perceived differently — as a blow to the symbol of respect for the Ukrainian people at a time when Ukraine continues to defend itself against Russian aggression.

Memory that cannot be canceled, and a war that cannot be lost

In this conflict, there are two truths that cannot simply be crossed out.

Poland has the right to remember its victims. Any conversation about Volhynia, Eastern Galicia, and the tragedies of the 1940s cannot be reduced to a political slogan. There were killed people, destroyed families, devastated villages, trauma passed down through generations.

Ukraine also has the right to its historical memory. Especially now, when Russia is trying to present Ukrainian statehood as a ‘mistake of history’, and any independent Ukrainian tradition as a threat.

The problem is that this dispute unfolded not in peacetime.

It happened at a time when Ukraine continues the war against Russia. And Poland remains one of the key states without which European support for Ukraine would be much weaker.

Therefore, the decision on the Order of the White Eagle became not only a matter of memory. It became a matter of security.

And here arises the main risk: historical pain can be used in such a way that neither Poland nor Ukraine benefits, but Russia does.

For Moscow, any conflict between Kyiv and Warsaw is a gift. The more suspicions between allies, the stronger the mutual grievances, the louder the accusations, the easier it is for Russian propaganda to say: ‘Ukraine is losing support’, ‘Europe is divided’, ‘neighbors are tired of Kyiv’.

That is why this dispute is dangerous not only emotionally but also strategically.

Zelensky responded not with a break, but by returning the symbol

Zelensky’s statement on June 20, 2026, was written very cautiously.

He did not attack the Polish people. He did not speak of a break. He did not question the significance of Polish aid to Ukraine.

On the contrary, Zelensky separately emphasized gratitude to the Polish people for the support and cooperation that play a significant role in Ukraine’s struggle for independence. He also wrote that cooperation between the states and peoples of the region is one of the guarantees of security — both for Ukrainians and for neighboring countries.

But after this came the most severe political signal.

Zelensky reminded that the Order of the White Eagle historically remained with various figures, including Catherine II, Benito Mussolini, and Gerhard Schröder. And if such a symbol can remain with them, but cannot remain with the President of Ukraine during the war against Russia, Kyiv will not argue.

Ukraine simply returns the order.

This is a very strong diplomatic move. Zelensky does not ask to reconsider the decision. He does not bargain for the award. He does not prove that he personally deserves it.

He shifts the question to another level: if in Poland they believe that the Ukrainian president should no longer have this order, then Ukraine will return it — but along with this, it will raise the question of how Poland today evaluates the feat of the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian army.

In this sense, the order became not an award, but a mirror.

Inside Poland, there is also no single line

It is important to understand: Poland does not speak with one voice on this issue.

President Karol Nawrocki took a tough stance. His decision is based on a painful historical topic that is indeed important for Polish society.

But Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for restraint and warned that a conflict between Poland and Ukraine benefits Russia. This is a crucial point.

Warsaw today finds itself between two tasks.

On the one hand, the Polish state cannot ignore the memory of its citizens who died in the tragedies of the 20th century. On the other hand, Poland cannot allow a historical dispute to destroy the strategic partnership with Ukraine at a time when Russia remains the main threat to the region.

That is why this crisis will be a test not only for Kyiv but also for Polish politics.

What this means for Israel

For the Israeli audience, this story is as important as it may seem at first glance.

Israel knows well that historical memory is never secondary. The memory of victims, wars, genocide, exile, and national trauma can define politics for generations. You cannot simply tell society: ‘forget the past because there are more important issues now’.

But Israel also knows something else: memory can become a weapon in the hands of those who want to split allies.

In the Middle East, the past is constantly used in present conflicts. Symbols, dates, names, monuments, maps, and formulations can become not just a matter of history, but part of political struggle.

The same is happening now in Europe.

The Polish-Ukrainian dispute around the UPA is not only a dispute about the past. It is a test of the ability of allies to maintain strategic unity at a time when Russia is working against them.

For Israel, there is an important lesson here: state memory requires respect, but in wartime, any political decision must also be evaluated by the question — whom does it help today.

If the result is the weakening of allies in the face of an aggressor, then even a morally understandable step can have dangerous consequences.

Why this crisis cannot be given to Russia

Ukraine and Poland are too important to each other to allow Moscow to turn historical pain into a modern rupture.

Poland has been and remains one of Ukraine’s main partners. Ukraine, in turn, holds back Russia not only at its borders but also on the eastern flank of Europe. If Ukraine loses, Poland will find itself in a completely different threat system.

That is why Zelensky left the door open in his statement.

He wrote that Ukraine will be open to all substantive formats of interaction with Poland to avoid misinterpretations of complex and painful pages of the past and ensure due respect for all innocent victims of the 20th century.

This is an important phrase.

Ukraine does not say: ‘the past does not matter’.
Ukraine says: ‘the past must be discussed in such a way as not to lose the present’.

And this is perhaps the main meaning of the whole story.

The order was returned, but the question remains

Zelensky returned not just a state award to Poland.

He returned to Poland the question: how to combine the memory of past tragedies with the need to prevent Europe’s defeat in the current war.

Poland has the right to defend the memory of its victims. Ukraine has the right to defend the dignity of its people and army. But both countries today face a threat that has not disappeared and has not become weaker.

This threat is Russia.

And if the historical dispute between Kyiv and Warsaw is turned into a political rupture, neither memory, nor justice, nor Europe will win. Moscow will win.

Therefore, the fate of the Order of the White Eagle in this story is only an external symbol. The real question is deeper: can Ukraine and Poland talk about the most painful pages of the past in such a way as not to destroy the common future.

For Europe, this is no longer a dispute about ceremonies. It is a test of the ability to distinguish historical pain from strategic error.

For Ukraine — it is a question of the dignity of a people who are fighting.

For Poland — a question of memory and responsibility.

And for Israel, which well understands the price of memory and the price of security, it is another reminder: the past cannot be canceled, but the enemy cannot be allowed to use it to defeat those who stand against aggression today.