Poland expects further steps from Ukraine on complex historical issues

This was announced on Thursday by the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, Radoslaw Sikorski, and the Marshal of the Senate, Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, responding to a statement by the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, which, in response to the appeal of Polish citizens, plans to search for the bodies of the victims of the Volyn tragedy in 2025.

"I hope that this Christian duty will simply be fulfilled," Sikorski said on the air of Radio Poland.

He emphasized that there is a national agreement in Poland regarding the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn massacre, and President Andrzej Duda, Marshal of the Sejm Szymon Golownia and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speak with one voice in this matter.

He recalled that a few weeks ago, during a visit to Kyiv, he discussed this issue with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.

"When we spoke in Kyiv three weeks ago, I said I had received an assurance that the issue would be resolved. I hope it will be resolved, because we do not want it to annoy Ukraine, but to ensure Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation, friendship, and unity without this sensitive issue," said Sikorski.

When asked if there was a dispute on the issue in Kyiv, he replied that he addressed the matter resolutely.

"We will recognize them by their fruits," Sikorski emphasized.

Answering the question whether he agrees with the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who said that without resolving the exhumation issue, Poland will not agree to Ukraine's accession to the EU, he noted that he is convincing the Ukrainian side of the need to resolve the issue "before we approach a tougher choice."

"And the Ukrainian side makes it clear that maybe it can be settled," Sikorski stated.

The Marshal of the Senate of Poland, Kidawa-Blonska, responding to the statement from the Ukrainian Institute of National Rememberance, emphasized that this is a "good signal", but Warsaw is "waiting for further proposals".

"This is a good step, but it is still not enough," said the Marshal of the Upper Chamber of the Polish Parliament.

As the UINR reported, this year it started receiving eppeals from Polish citizens regarding the possibility of searching for and exhuming the remains of their fallen relatives. In particular, a request was received regarding such works in the territory of Rivne region. Following consideration of the appeal filed in September 2024, the UINR intends to include search works in Rivne region in its action plan for 2025.

The issue of the Volyn tragedy is among the most controversial ones in Ukrainian-Polish relations. Poland insists that the Ukrainian side bears the sole responsibility for the violent crimes committed in Volyn in 1943-1945. Instead, Ukraine emphasizes that both parties are responsible, so the apology should be mutual.

Russian propaganda has been actively exploiting the topic of the Volyn tragedy to pit the two nations against each other.

Photo: PAP