The Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle met Monday and presented its opinion to Polish President Karol Nawrocki, who will make a final decision "at the appropriate time", presidential spokesman Rafał Leśkiewicz announced.
The meeting was convened after Zelensky, in late May, named a Special Operations Forces unit after the "Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army", known by its Polish acronym UPA — a move that triggered sharp criticism in Poland.
Nawrocki, who attended the chapter's session, had proposed revoking Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle in response. He said at the time that "glorifying the UPA is something that has given Russian propaganda a great deal of oxygen for disinformation".
Zelensky received the Order of the White Eagle in April 2023, awarded by then-President Andrzej Duda in recognition of his contributions to Polish-Ukrainian relations and his defense of human rights and European security.
Under Polish law, the president may strip an individual of the honor if the original award was granted based on false pretenses, or if the recipient has "committed an act making them unworthy of the order".
The Order of the White Eagle is Poland's oldest and most prestigious state decoration. The chapter, chaired by the president, may recommend both the granting and revocation of the order.
In an effort to ease tensions, Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's presidential administration, visited Warsaw on Friday and Saturday, holding talks with senior Polish officials including Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki. Presidential minister Marcin Przydacz said afterward that Ukraine had acknowledged the sensitivity of the UPA issue in Poland and expressed interest in dialogue.
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Source: PAP