A speech delivered by Piotr Łukasiewicz during commemorations of the Volhynia massacre anniversary has sparked a political storm in Poland. While paying tribute to the Polish victims of Volhynia, the head of Poland’s diplomatic mission in Kyiv also spoke about Ukrainian victims of the Polish state and the need to “forgive and ask for forgiveness.” His remarks drew sharp criticism. The Ordo Iuris Institute has called for action, while aides to President Karol Nawrocki have also condemned the speech. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, however, has defended the diplomat.
On Saturday, the anniversary of the so-called Bloody Sunday, commemorations honoring the victims of the Volhynia massacre were held in numerous locations across both Poland and Ukraine. The ceremonies took place as part of the National Day of Remembrance for Poles – Victims of the Genocide Committed by the OUN and UPA. President Karol Nawrocki delivered a speech in Radruż, in southeastern Poland’s Podkarpackie region.
“To those who speak today about geopolitics, about a world at war, and about the national interest, I want to remind them that the death of 14-year-old Jadwiga Romanik—in terms of the pain she endured, what her parents experienced, and what she felt in her heart as she was murdered by Ukrainian nationalists—is the same kind of death that 14-year-old Ukrainians are experiencing today at the hands of criminals from the Russian Federation. How are these deaths different? Is yesterday’s death somehow gentler than tomorrow’s? The tears, suffering, humiliation, and grief of families? We must speak clearly: remembrance, history, and the truth about the Volhynia genocide shape the future. We are here for the past, but also for the future that is with us—for our children,” President Nawrocki said.
Łukasiewicz speaks of “forgiveness.” Sikorski defends him
Piotr Łukasiewicz, Poland’s chargé d’affaires in Ukraine, took part in commemorations held in the Ukrainian town of Olyka. However, his address included several statements that provoked strong reactions across the political spectrum.
“Bowing my head before the Polish victims of Ukrainian violence in Volhynia, I cannot fail to mention the Ukrainian victims of the Polish state before and during the war. I am not creating a false equivalence, but we remember what was shameful and unworthy,” Łukasiewicz said.
He also stated: “We must know how to forgive, and we must know how to ask for forgiveness. Forgiveness and asking for it come only when we have understood and felt ashamed of the mistakes of a cruel past.”
The remarks prompted a response from Jerzy Kwaśniewski, president and co-founder of the Ordo Iuris Institute.
In a post on X, he wrote: “There are two possibilities: either the diplomat acted contrary to the policy of the government and Minister Sikorski—in which case he should be dismissed immediately—or he was implementing the policy of the government and Sikorski, in which case he will remain in the Foreign Service. We will find out on Monday. And we will draw conclusions.”
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, however, came to Łukasiewicz’s defense.
“There is a third possibility: Colonel Łukasiewicz, who risks his life for his country under Russian bombs, spoke in the Christian spirit of ‘We forgive and ask for forgiveness.’ In the face of a common threat, he is working toward reconciliation. Meanwhile, some nationalist sectarians are inciting brotherly nations against one another while serving entirely different interests,” Sikorski wrote on X.
Przydacz: “This situation shows the problem clearly”
The environment surrounding President Karol Nawrocki has nevertheless rejected the narrative presented by Poland’s chargé d’affaires in Ukraine. Marcin Przydacz, head of the Presidential Office’s Bureau of International Policy, commented:
“This situation perfectly illustrates many of the problems with today’s corps of ‘heads of missions’ sent abroad by the current leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to represent Poland.”
“It should therefore surprise no one that the President has refused to approve such candidates. Unfortunately, there are many more of them—far too many. The Constitution is clear: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs submits nominations, but the final decision belongs to the President. Let us hope that the day will come when the Foreign Ministry—under this leadership or, more likely, another one—changes its approach and begins acting in the interests of the Republic of Poland rather than according to the minister’s personal grievances,” he wrote.