Poland announces national memorial for Volhynia wartime victims amid row with Ukraine

Poland's prime minister has announced plans for a national memorial to the victims of wartime killings blamed by Warsaw on Ukrainian nationalists. Donald Tusk made the announcement during commemorations in Warsaw and other Polish cities on Saturday, on the anniversary of what Poland calls the Volhynia massacre. The ceremony brought renewed attention to one of the most sensitive historical disputes between Poland and Ukraine.

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According to Polish authorities, about 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in 1943-45 in Volhynia, a region that was then part of German-occupied Poland and is now in western Ukraine. Tusk said truth was a duty to the victims and a way to overcome a painful past for the sake of a better future. He also said memory could not serve hatred, and that nationalism should not be answered with more nationalism.

The prime minister urged Ukraine to "embrace this truth" if it wants one day to join the European Union. His remarks came amid a wider diplomatic row that has recently resurfaced over wartime symbolism and honours. Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was stripped of Poland's highest state honour after he named a Ukrainian military unit after the UPA, prompting a public dispute between the two countries.

The issue matters because Poland has been one of Ukraine's strongest political and military supporters since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. At the same time, historical memory of the Second World War remains deeply divisive, especially around the role of the UPA. In Poland, the killings are widely described as genocide, while many in Ukraine view the UPA as fighters for independence against both the Soviet army and Nazi Germany.

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The row has long strained relations between Warsaw and Kyiv, even as both governments stress the importance of their broader partnership. Polish President Karol Nawrocki said the dispute over the honour would not affect Poland's support for Ukraine. Three former Ukrainian presidents later returned their White Eagle awards in solidarity with Zelensky, underlining how the historical argument has spilled into present-day diplomacy.

Zelensky said in a video address late on Saturday that representatives of the Ukrainian state had taken part in joint prayers with Polish representatives in both countries to commemorate the victims of the Volhynia killings. He said Ukraine was working to establish the facts honestly, while also warning that both countries face a common threat from Russia. What remains unclear is whether the memorial announcement will ease tensions or deepen the dispute over historical interpretation.

The next test will be whether the two governments can keep the issue separate from their wider cooperation on security and Ukraine's EU ambitions.

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