Ukrainian President's office chief comments on Ukraine–Poland tensions
Photo: Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Presidential Office (Getty Images)
Tensions between Ukraine and Poland have not yet reached their peak following the revocation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle, says Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
On relations with Poland
According to Budanov, the current situation between Kyiv and Warsaw is not yet a conflict, but it could escalate.
"With Poland, this is a classic case of diplomatic tension. It’s not a conflict yet. It’s a disagreement. It hasn’t reached its peak yet, believe me. Things will go further, as they say, if everyone doesn’t back off a bit," he says.
Ukrainian President's office chief comments on Ukraine–Poland tensions pic.twitter.com/L9bKI84Fw1
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) June 26, 2026
On award revocation
Budanov describes Polish President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to revoke Zelenskyy's award as very bad.
"I view it as a mistake, and a terrible one at that. There's an age-old rule: you must have good or neutral relations with your neighbors. Tensions with neighbors always cause problems, ranging from political to purely economic," he emphasizes.
The Head of the Office of the President also calls this decision a sign of immaturity.
"I view this as immaturity. First and foremost, immaturity. I view this as immaturity on the part of the people in Poland who pushed for and then adopted this decision. It’s very strange, and it hasn’t been thought through or properly prepared. If you’re going to do things like this, you should have at least stripped Mussolini of his order first. Because this looks extremely strange," Budanov concludes.
Ukraine-Poland tensions
On June 19, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle.
The reason was the decision to grant a Ukrainian military unit the honorary name of the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)
On June 20, Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned the award to Warsaw via Nova Poshta delivery service. In Poland, this move was criticized as yet another insult.
Subsequently, the Ukrainian President did not attend the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Gdańsk, even though most European leaders were present at the event.
Ukraine is represented by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called Zelenskyy’s absence a gesture aimed at de-escalating tensions between the two countries.
