Poland’s absence from key European talks on Ukraine has raised questions about Warsaw’s influence, despite its geography and central role in supporting Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Michał Broniatowski, editor-in-chief of TVP World, said on the News in Depth program that the latest historical-memory dispute between Poland and Ukraine is only one part of a deeper problem in relations between Warsaw and Kyiv. Tensions rose after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree granting a Ukrainian military unit the honorary designation “Heroes of the UPA.” Polish President Karol Nawrocki has proposed that the Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle consider stripping Zelenskyy of Poland’s highest state honor, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged both presidents to speak directly, warning that “cooperation serves both our nations, while conflict serves Moscow's interests.” The UPA — the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a World War II-era nationalist guerrilla force — is viewed in Ukraine as a symbol of resistance against Soviet rule, but in Poland it is associated above all with the wartime massacres of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia. Poland outside the room Broniatowski said the more serious issue for Warsaw is its absence from key European talks on Ukraine. Zelenskyy met the leaders of Britain, France and Germany in London, while Poland — one of Ukraine's most important logistical and political backers — was not at the table. “Poland is being sidelined,” Broniatowski said, linking the problem partly to disputes between Poland’s president and prime minister, which he said make allies uncertain about Warsaw’s foreign policy line. Still, he argued Poland cannot be ignored indefinitely because of its location and role in Ukraine's war effort. “You cannot sideline Poland because of our geography,” he said.
“Poland is being sidelined,” Broniatowski said, linking the problem partly to disputes between Poland’s president and prime minister.
