MEPs criticize Zelensky's UPA tribute in Ukraine accession resolution

The European Parliament has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's decision to name an elite military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a World War II-era nationalist force whose legacy remains deeply divisive in relations between Poland and Ukraine.

Members of the European Parliament during a voting session in Strasbourg, France, March 26, 2026.

Photo: PAP/Wiktor Dąbkowski

European lawmakers on Wednesday approved a resolution on Ukraine's EU accession in which they expressed regret over what they called Zelensky's "unnecessary and unprovoked escalation," warning that the move risks undermining relations with Poland and runs counter to European values.

Zelensky's decision in late May sparked a diplomatic dispute with Poland, where officials have said that acknowledging historical atrocities and honoring their victims are essential elements of reconciliation and important to Ukraine's European integration.

The UPA is viewed in Poland primarily through the lens of what is known as the Volhynia massacre. Polish historians say UPA units carried out coordinated attacks on around 150 Polish-populated towns and villages in the Volhynia region in July 1943, killing tens of thousands of Polish civilians.

Poland classifies the killings as genocide.

In Ukraine, however, many historians and politicians regard the UPA chiefly as a symbol of the country's struggle for independence and its postwar resistance against Soviet rule, while viewing the wartime violence as part of a broader Polish-Ukrainian conflict.

The EU parliament's resolution expressed regret over "the disregard for Polish sensitivities and grief linked to the UPA’s estimated tens of thousands of victims and their families."

MEPs also said that Zelensky’s decision "undermines neighbourly relations" and "is not in line with European values," calling for "de-escalation and renewed efforts in good faith towards reconciliation" between Kyiv and Warsaw.

At the same time, the resolution reaffirmed the EU's support for Ukraine and its path toward membership.

(pu/gs)

Click on the audio player above to listen to a report by Piotr Urbaniak