Marcin Przycz revealed on August 26 that Karol Nawrocki sent Volodymyr Zelensk a letter for the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, wishing triumph over Russia and reminding of historical truth. However, the president does not plan to travel to Kiev in the coming months. That's a signal: supporting a neighbour does not mean agreeing to silence Volyn.
Letter with wishes and hard condition
Karol Nawrocki sent a letter to Volodymyr Zelenski on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of Ukrainian independence, celebrated on August 24. The Head of the Office of Policy of the global Chancellery of the president of the Republic of Poland Marcin Przycz spoke about this on 26 August, and described the case True. According to the study of the minister, the Polish president wished Ukraine to win in the war with Russia, but at the same time pointed to tensions which require honest naming.
This is the line Poland needs. Russia remains a deadly threat to order in our part of Europe. Ukraine defends itself against aggression and in this sense its opposition is besides in the Polish interest of security. But the national interest is not to close mouths to Poles erstwhile it comes to Volyn, UPA and memory of the murdered.
Historical fact as a Basis of Relationship
The handyman emphasized that good neighbourly relations must be based on foundations, and 1 of them is historical truth. This is not a item for historians. This is simply a substance of fundamental dignity of the state. A nation that cannot appeal to its own murdered gives others the right to compose his memory.
In the background, there is simply a dispute over Ukrainian memory policy and the National Pantheon Act. This subject DN has already described on the occasion of the text that Zelenski signed the Pantheon Act. From the Polish position the problem is simple: Ukraine's fight with Russia cannot become a protective umbrella for glorifying the formations liable for the murders in Poles.
According to IPN materials devoted to Volynian Crimes Between 1943 and 1945 about 100,000 Poles died. That's not a number for diplomatic footnotes. There are villages, families, women, children, priests, susceptible people behind it. Poland has a work to talk about them calmly, but without going back a step.
Without visiting Kiev in the coming months
In the coming months Nawrocki's visit to Ukraine is not planned. How He Reported To ThingsThe president is to focus on G20 issues by December. This is an crucial diplomatic signal. The dialog continues, but Warsaw does not act as if all request of Kiev automatically sets the Polish calendar.
This is how a serious state should act. It helps where the Polish state requires it. It puts conditions where memory, economical interest, safety and respect are concerned. Poles opened houses, borders and wallets in 2022. No sensible individual should pretend present that this self-sacrifice erases Poland's right to a hard conversation.
Ankarska lesson in Realism
July brought Nawrocki's gathering with Zelenski during the NATO Summit in Ankara. The president of the Republic of Poland then informed that the issue of the approach to the CNS and UPA was non-negotiable for Poland, and President pointed out this problem to the Ukrainian side consecutive ahead. According to Euronews, the conversation lasted about an hr and did not bring a breakthrough in historical matters.
The latest letter fits into the same logic: Moscow requires hardness, Kiev's honesty, Warsaw's loyalty to its own people. It's besides a test for model of the presidency of Karol Nawrocki. Will Poland talk with its own voice, or will individual again find that good relations mean the silence of the weaker side?
The stakes for Poles are real. It's about safety on the east flank, but it's besides about the simple right to truth. Alliances without memory are fragile. relationship built on the silence of harm is not friendship, but a deferred conflict.
Source: Facts, To Things, Chancellery of the president of Poland, IPN.
