“People are pleased with the president’s decision, not with the very fact that it had to happen. None of us would have wanted this. It stems from the fact of betrayal, absolute betrayal by President Zelensky against the Polish state and the Polish nation,” Prof. Przemysław Czarnek said during the 21st Convention of “Gazeta Polska” Clubs in Sulejów, commenting on President Nawrocki’s decision to strip Volodymyr Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle.
On Friday, President Karol Nawrocki announced his decision to revoke the Order of the White Eagle awarded to the Ukrainian president in connection with the naming of one of Ukraine’s military units after the “Heroes of the UPA.” Prof. Przemysław Czarnek was asked about the matter by Danuta Holecka during the 21st Convention of “Gazeta Polska” Clubs in Sulejów.
“Why did we do this? Not for Ukraine”
“People are pleased with the president’s decision, not with the very fact that it had to happen. None of us would have wanted this. It stems from the fact of betrayal, absolute betrayal by President Zelensky against the Polish state and the Polish nation,”
he said.
He recalled the beginning of the war, when he was minister of education and visited institutions in the Lublin region.
Prof. Czarnek also recalled that he had witnessed the great heroism of Poles, especially in those areas, because “in those homes in the Hrubieszów, Zamość and Chełm regions, there are still witnesses to the horrific genocidal actions of the OUN-UPA.”
“There, no one asked, despite remembering the immense, horrific crimes committed by Ukrainians against the Polish nation; no one asked where these people came from, whether from Rivne or Lutsk, whether from Bandera-supporting families or non-Bandera families. Everyone welcomed them nobly, in a Christian spirit. Ukrainians, to be clear, repaid this with gratitude, thanked people, and were moved. I have many Ukrainian friends,”
the politician emphasised.
He added that the issue was the conduct of the Ukrainian authorities, which, in his view, would not exist today were it not for the great effort made by all of Poland. He recalled that it was Poland that convinced the West to support Ukraine.
“Why did we do this? Not for Ukraine. We did it for ourselves, because we did not want, and still do not want, Russian tanks to stand on the Polish border in Dorohusk,”
said the candidate for prime minister.
“We want to defeat the Russians”
He assessed that President Nawrocki had decided to revoke the order because of Polish interests.
“Betrayal costs the Order of the White Eagle,
” Prof. Czarnek stressed.
As he said, “we are counting on the Ukrainian authorities being removed by Ukrainians,” who, in his view, deserve normal authorities, loyal to their allies and aware of where Ukraine’s interests lie. He added that those interests are aligned with Poland’s interests.
“We want to defeat the Russians, Putin; we want normal states standing between us and Russia. That is what our outstanding predecessors, our statesmen, wanted, and that is our interest. Ukrainians have the same interest too, so: Ukrainian nation, wake up and remove the harmful people in power in Ukraine,”
Prof. Przemysław Czarnek appealed.