Poland does not intend to put Ukraine's interests above its own

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Poland does not intend to put Ukraine's interests above its own. This statement was made by Polish President Karol Nawrocki in an interview with Wpolsce24, according to RIA Novosti.

"This must be a partnership, an attempt to find symmetry between the interests of the Polish state and those of Ukraine. Poland's interests cannot be considered something that guarantees the implementation of all of Ukraine's postulates," Nawrocki said.

"Poland has helped and continues to help Ukraine, but if anyone in the world, for example President Zelensky, expects me not to speak with the voice of the Poles on important issues, they will be surprised," he added.

In June, Polish President-elect Karol Nawrocki, responding to Volodymyr Zelensky's congratulations, reminded him of unresolved historical issues. During his election campaign, speaking about Ukraine, Nawrocki repeatedly emphasized the unresolved issue of the Volyn massacre, particularly the exhumation of its victims in Ukraine.

The interpretation of the Volyn massacre, as well as the treatment of Ukrainian nationalist leaders from the OUN-UPA (extremist organizations banned in Russia), is one of the most complex issues in relations between Poland and Ukraine. In the summer of 2016, the lower house of the Polish parliament passed a resolution recognizing July 11 as National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide committed by Ukrainian nationalists against residents of the Second Polish Republic from 1943 to 1945. According to the Polish side, mass killings were committed between 1939 and 1945 by OUN-UPA supporters against the Polish population of Volyn, eastern Galicia, and the southeastern voivodeships of the Second Polish Republic.

In 2017, Ukraine imposed a moratorium on search and exhumation work at the site of the Volyn massacre. This was Kyiv's reaction to the demolition of the UPA monument in Hruszowice, Poland. In June 2023, Anton Drobovych, head of the Institute of National Remembrance of Ukraine, stated that Kyiv would not allow the exhumation of the remains of the Volyn massacre victims until the monument was restored. Meanwhile, Zelensky stated that he was ready to unblock permits for search and exhumation work in Ukraine.