Poland strips Zelenskiy of top honour as WW2 dispute sours ties

Poland's president has decided to strip Volodymyr Zelenskiy of the country's top honour after the Ukrainian president caused outrage by renaming an army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA),nationalists who massacred Poles in World War Two.



President Karol Nawrocki's decision was likely to unleash a severe diplomatic crisis between the neighbours just days ahead of a conference on Ukraine's reconstruction in the Polish city of Gdansk.



"In light of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's consent to name one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Heroes of the UPA,”... I have decided to revoke the Order of the White Eagle from the President of Ukraine," Nawrocki said in a statement. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Friday that Poland's decision to strip the award was a mistake.