NOVE NETRPELJIVOSTI U EUROPI: Poljska se protiv pridruĹľivanju Ukrajine u EU, traĹľe da priznaju genocid koji su poÄŤinili
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Polish Deputy Prime Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has stated that there is no possibility for Ukraine to join the European Union until it acknowledges the Volhynia massacre as genocide.
“If Ukraine does not reconcile with the fact that genocide occurred, and there are no exhumations or commemorations, it will not have a chance to join the European Union,” he noted. However, he also pointed out that refusing to support Ukraine in its war with Russia would be “contrary to the security interests of the Polish state.”
Thousands of Poles Killed
Members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) massacred tens of thousands of Poles in Volhynia, Poland, in 1943, a region that is now part of western Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainians were killed in retaliation. Ukrainian historian Serhiy Plohi, director of the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, estimates that the number of Polish victims ranges from 60,000 to 90,000.
The number of Ukrainians killed by Poles in the 1940s is estimated to be between 10,000 and 20,000, including around 2,000 to 3,000 in Volhynia, according to Polish historian Grzegorz Motyka.
The Volhynia massacre has long been a sore point in Polish-Ukrainian relations. Half of Poles believe that Ukraine should not join NATO or the European Union until the issue of exhuming the victims of the Volhynia massacre is resolved, according to a poll released on January 30.
Challenges for Polish-Ukrainian Relations
In July, newly elected Polish President Karol Nawrocki urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to allow complete exhumation of the Polish massacre victims in Volhynia.
Nawrocki recently vetoed a law aimed at expanding financial support for Ukrainian refugees. Additionally, he proposed benefits exclusively for Ukrainians employed in Poland, extending the period required to obtain Polish citizenship, implementing stricter penalties for illegal border crossings, and equating Ukrainian nationalist symbols with Nazi and Communist symbols.
Nawrocki, a conservative backed by the opposition Law and Justice party, narrowly won the Polish presidential election on June 1 with 50.89% of the vote. He is a historian who has entered politics. His ascent to the presidency signals growing challenges for Polish-Ukrainian relations.
While he affirmed support for Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression, he expressed opposition to Kyiv’s aspirations for EU and NATO membership.
