Following Karol Nawrocki’s decision to revoke the Order of the White Eagle from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, more Law and Justice (PiS) politicians have announced that they will return Ukrainian state decorations. Joining Jarosław Kaczyński are fellow PiS politicians Mariusz Błaszczak, Zbigniew Rau and Marek Kuchciński, who said their decision was motivated by solidarity with the families of the victims of the Volhynia massacres and support for the president’s actions.
On Saturday, President Zelenskyy announced that he had returned the Order of the White Eagle to President Nawrocki. A day earlier, Nawrocki declared that he was revoking Poland’s highest state decoration from Zelenskyy following the decision to name one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine after the “Heroes of the UPA.”
In response to the revocation of the Order of the White Eagle from Zelenskyy, several Ukrainian officials renounced their Polish state decorations, including Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov, his deputy Ihor Zhovkva, and Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar.
Yesterday, the leader of Law and Justice (PiS) announced that he would return the Ukrainian Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, Second Class, which had previously been awarded to him.
“This will express my attitude not so much toward the Ukrainian people as toward the Ukrainian elites. At the same time, it is an act of loyalty to our president. Such acts of loyalty are needed today,” he said.
More Decorations to Be Returned to Ukraine
Mariusz Błaszczak, deputy leader of the party, also announced that he would follow the party leader’s example.
“I am returning the Order of Merit that I was awarded by the Ukrainian authorities,” he wrote on X. He was referring to Ukraine’s Order of Merit, which he received from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in February 2023.
The politician stressed that his decision was “a gesture of solidarity with all the families who have been waiting for decades for the opportunity to properly honor their loved ones and who continue to face obstacles today. It is an expression of opposition to the stance of the current Ukrainian authorities.”
Like Jarosław Kaczyński, Błaszczak added that “at the same time, this is an expression of my support for President Karol Nawrocki, who has shown that the memory of the Polish victims and the dignity of our state are not subject to negotiation. True reconciliation can only be built on the foundation of truth and respect for the victims.”
The same decision was also made by Zbigniew Rau and Marek Kuchciński, party spokesperson Rafał Bochenek announced.