Zelenskyy: Nawrocki is doing what Orbán did. This will end badly

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Ukrainian news program TSN that Polish President Karol Nawrocki's decision to strip him of the Order of the White Eagle is driven by internal political struggles.

"I see this purely as an electoral process. President Karol Nawrocki is fighting for his party's premiership against Prime Minister Tusk. It has nothing to do with us – it's an internal matter for them," Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy noted that Nawrocki is keeping his internal political battle going by stirring up feelings of hatred towards Ukrainians. "That's what Orbán did. This is a bad business. I believe it will end badly," the president said. He stressed that "you can't earn political dividends from hatred, because in the long run it will lead to bad relations between nations."

Zelenskyy also revealed that the first time he met Nawrocki in Poland, Nawrocki gave him a book about the Volyn tragedy. "I'd come to see him, and his gift to me as we shook hands was a book about the Volyn tragedy. I haven't spoken about this. I didn't tell people. I've been living with this calmly. We're talking about it openly now because he is taking steps that I believe are wrong," the president said.

Zelenskyy added that Nawrocki has "a democracy, not a monarchy," so a relationship needs to be built with Ukraine, which is currently defending Europe, including Poland.

On the evening of June 19, President Nawrocki decided to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle over the naming of a Ukrainian military unit after the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. He said Poland would not allow EU accession for those who do not renounce the "cult of totalitarianism and violence."

Following this, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar, and Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov announced they would return their Polish state awards. On June 20, Zelenskyy said he had sent the order back by post. Former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yushchenko, and Petro Poroshenko also renounced their Orders of the White Eagle.