Volodymyr Zelenskyy to skip postwar conference amid tensions with Poland

What Happened

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will skip the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, which begins on Thursday, sending Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to lead the delegation instead. The decision follows weeks of escalating tensions with Poland after Zelenskyy named a Ukrainian military unit after 'the heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army' (UPA). In Ukraine, the UPA is viewed as a symbol of anti-Soviet resistance; however, in Poland, the UPA is held responsible for the killing of up to 100,000 Poles in the Volhynia region between 1943 and 1945—a massacre the Polish parliament unanimously deemed a 'genocide' in 2016. Polish President Karol Nawrocki expressed outrage and confirmed on Friday that he would revoke Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle, awarded in 2023. Zelenskyy returned the award by post, accused Nawrocki of exploiting rising anti-Ukrainian sentiment ahead of Poland’s next parliamentary election, and warned that the dispute would weaken Polish–Ukrainian relations at a critical time. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, hosting the conference, urged de-escalation, calling the presidential feud a 'strategic mistake.' The EU warned that only Russia benefits from the rift, with spokesperson Paula Pinho stating, 'There’s only one happy observer in this type of situation, and that’s the aggressor in Ukraine.'

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The diplomatic fallout threatens to undermine one of Ukraine’s most critical wartime alliances. Poland has been a frontline logistics hub for Western military aid, hosts over a million Ukrainian refugees, and its political solidarity is vital for sustaining NATO support. The dispute over the UPA’s World War II legacy—still unresolved after decades—exposes deep historical sensitivities that Moscow can exploit to fracture the Western coalition. Zelenskyy’s warning that 'without Ukraine, no one will be able to defend Poland' underscores the security interdependence, while the EU’s intervention reflects fears that internal squabbling weakens collective resolve against Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Watch For

Immediate attention will focus on the outcome of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk and whether Zelenskyy’s absence reduces pledges or political momentum. Further diplomatic exchanges between Warsaw and Kyiv—particularly any attempts at compromise on the military unit’s name or exhumation agreements—could either de-escalate or deepen the rift. Domestically, Poland’s upcoming parliamentary election will test whether anti‑Ukrainian rhetoric gains further traction. Militarily, any signs of strain in logistics or bilateral defense coordination should be monitored, as well as Russian disinformation efforts framing the dispute to weaken Western unity.