A majority of Poles expect Donald Tusk’s government to cooperate with President Karol Nawrocki in shaping Poland’s policy toward Ukraine, according to the latest United Surveys poll. The clear advantage of those supporting joint action shows that public expectations on this issue are unmistakable.
The immediate trigger for the deterioration in relations was Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decision to grant the Independent Special Operations Center “North” the honorary title of “Heroes of the UPA.” The Ukrainian president argued that the move was intended to preserve the traditions of the national armed forces and honor soldiers defending the country.
The decision sparked a wave of criticism in Poland. President Karol Nawrocki described it as unacceptable and, on June 19, decided to revoke the Order of the White Eagle previously awarded to Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The following day, the Ukrainian leader returned the decoration to Warsaw via a courier service.
Although several weeks have passed since those events, tensions surrounding the issue remain high. Further outrage in Poland was caused by the authorities in Kyiv announcing the creation of a “National Pantheon.” The Ukrainian government’s actions were met with sharp criticism in Poland and further intensified the dispute over historical policy. At the same time, the issue has become another point of contention between the ruling coalition, the Presidential Palace, and the opposition.
Poll: Poles Want Cooperation
The latest survey conducted by United Surveys for Wirtualna Polska indicates that Poles favor a unified position by the country’s highest state authorities in relations with Ukraine.
Respondents were asked whether—given the dispute over the Order of the White Eagle and the differences in approach between President Karol Nawrocki and Donald Tusk’s government—the cabinet should cooperate with the head of state or instead pursue its own independent policy toward Kyiv.
A total of 65.4 percent of respondents said the government should cooperate with the president. Meanwhile, 25.7 percent believed the government should pursue its own independent policy toward Ukraine.
Another 8.8 percent of respondents were undecided, answering either “I don’t know” or “It’s difficult to say.”
The survey was conducted by United Surveys on behalf of Wirtualna Polska between June 26 and June 28, 2026. It was carried out on a representative sample of 1,000 adult residents of Poland using a mixed-mode methodology combining online interviews (CAWI) and telephone interviews (CATI). The declared maximum margin of error was 3 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.