Zelenskyy to skip Ukraine recovery conference in Gdańsk amid tensions with Poland

Ukraine's president will not attend a major conference on the postwar reconstruction of his country, after a dispute with Poland over the naming of a military unit. The Ukraine Recovery Conference is due to open in the Polish coastal city of Gdańsk on Thursday, but Ukraine's delegation will instead be led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. The annual gathering is intended to bring together governments, partners and businesses involved in rebuilding Ukraine after the war.

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The decision follows weeks of tension between Kyiv and Warsaw over Zelenskyy's move last month to name a military unit after the heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, known as the UPA. The UPA is viewed in Ukraine as a symbol of resistance against Soviet rule and the struggle for independence. In Poland, however, it is associated with the killing of up to 100,000 Poles in the Volhynia region between 1943 and 1945.

Polish underground forces later killed about 10,000 Ukrainians in reprisals, according to historians. The row has revived one of the most painful issues in relations between the two neighbours. Poland's parliament unanimously adopted a motion in 2016 describing the killings as genocide committed by Ukrainian nationalists.

The dispute has also complicated efforts to build on last year's agreement on exhumations, which opened the way for Polish families to recover and bury relatives killed in the massacres. The latest disagreement has prompted anger in Poland and accusations that Zelenskyy showed historical insensitivity. The reaction in Warsaw has been especially sharp because Poland has been one of Ukraine's most important political and practical supporters since Russia's full-scale invasion.

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The annual recovery conference is a key forum for discussing Ukraine's reconstruction needs and for mobilising international backing. Its previous editions were held in Rome, Berlin and London, underlining the event's role as a diplomatic and economic platform rather than a purely symbolic meeting. Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a former head of the country's Institute of National Remembrance, said he was outraged by Zelenskyy's decision to name the unit after the UPA.

He also suggested the Ukrainian leader could be stripped of Poland's highest civilian honour, the Order of the White Eagle, which was awarded to him in 2023. The comments show how a historical dispute has spilled into present-day diplomacy at a moment when Ukraine is seeking sustained support for reconstruction. It remains unclear whether the row will affect future bilateral cooperation on exhumations, memorial issues or wider reconstruction efforts.

The conference in Gdańsk is still expected to go ahead, with Svyrydenko representing Ukraine instead of Zelenskyy. What happens next will be watched closely for signs of whether the two governments can contain the dispute or whether it will continue to shape their relations.

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