Poland's Deputy PM: «With Bandera, Ukraine Will Not Join the EU»

Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, stated that Poland would not agree to Ukraine's accession to the European Union if Kyiv does not abandon the veneration of OUN and UPA figures, particularly Stepan Bandera. He emphasized that Ukraine would face significant problems with EU integration if it continues to use OUN and UPA as national symbols.

Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed that Poland would take a firm stance, as every country joining the EU must adhere to strict requirements regarding historical memory. He considers it unacceptable to build European cooperation on respect for figures who cause pain or spread falsehoods about neighboring EU member states. «One cannot elevate those who destroy European cooperation to a pedestal in the EU. With Bandera, Ukraine will not join the European Union,» he declared.

Poland will make its own decisions regarding the bloc's expansion, and no one will dictate how it should vote on this issue. The Deputy Prime Minister also agreed with the assumption that there are political forces in Kyiv that do not wish for Ukraine's accession to the EU.

Earlier, on June 19, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle due to the naming of a Ukrainian unit after UPA heroes, stating that Poland would not allow those who do not renounce the «cult of totalitarianism» to join the EU. In response, several Ukrainian officials announced they would return their Polish awards. On June 28, Zelenskyy submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada on the Ukrainian National Pantheon, emphasizing that «no one will ever dictate how we live, or whom we honor.»