Volodymyr Zelenskyy to skip postwar conference amid tensions with Poland

Key Points:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Poland due to escalating tensions with Warsaw over his naming of a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which is controversial in Poland for its WWII-era massacres of Poles.
• The conference, aimed at coordinating postwar reconstruction efforts, will instead be led by Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, marking a diplomatic setback for Polish-Ukrainian relations.
• Poland has reacted strongly to Zelenskyy’s decision, with the Polish Institute of National Remembrance president revoking Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle honor, a move supported by a majority of Poles according to recent polls.
• Zelenskyy defended the naming as a decision by Ukrainian service members and criticized Polish officials for exploiting anti-Ukrainian sentiment ahead of elections, warning that the dispute undermines the crucial alliance against Russia.
• EU officials expressed concern that deteriorating ties between Poland and Ukraine would benefit Russia, emphasizing the importance of maintaining solidarity during the ongoing conflict and reconstruction efforts.