{"id":1800,"date":"2026-07-08T15:51:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T15:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/07\/08\/eu-parliament-backs-poland-in-nazi-collaborators-row-with-ukraine\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T15:51:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T15:51:16","slug":"eu-parliament-backs-poland-in-nazi-collaborators-row-with-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=1800","title":{"rendered":"EU Parliament backs Poland in Nazi collaborators row with Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vladimir Zelensky\u2019s decision to name a military unit after a group that killed thousands of ethnic Poles in WWII is \u201cnot in line with European values,\u201d lawmakers say<\/strong><\/p>\n

The European Parliament has rebuked Kiev over its decision to rename an elite military unit after World War II-era Nazi collaborators, a move that has fueled a weeks-long diplomatic row with Poland.<\/p>\n

Militants from the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the armed wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), killed at least 100,000 ethnic Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia \u2013 now largely part of Ukraine \u2013 between 1943 and 1944. Known as the Volhynia Massacre, the campaign remains the main unresolved historical dispute between Ukraine and Poland, one of Kiev\u2019s key backers in its conflict with Russia.<\/p>\n

While Warsaw recognizes the killings as genocide, Kiev honors figures such as OUN leader Stepan Bandera as \u201cnational heroes.\u201d<\/em> Last month, Vladimir Zelensky granted an army unit the honorary title \u2018Heroes of the UPA\u2019.<\/p>\n

Polish President Karol Nawrocki called the move \u201coutrageous\u201d<\/em> and stripped Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland\u2019s highest honor, while Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz warned that \u201cUkraine will not join the EU\u201d<\/em> if it continues to glorify Nazi collaborators.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"Source:
Polish MEP tears up Ukrainian Nazi collaborator flag at EU parliament (VIDEO)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The European Parliament on Wednesday approved an amendment to its resolution on Ukraine\u2019s EU accession bid that criticizes Zelensky\u2019s decision as an \u201cunnecessary and unprovoked escalation\u201d<\/em> that shows \u201cdisregard for Polish sensitivities and grief linked to the UPA\u2019s estimated tens of thousands of victims,\u201d<\/em> saying the move \u201cundermines neighborly relations\u201d<\/em> and \u201cis not in line with European values.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very strong signal. It\u2019s a warning to Ukrainian authorities not to create bad emotions and not to act against European values,\u201d<\/em> Polish MEP Andrzej Halicki, who introduced the amendment, told Euronews.<\/p>\n

Zelensky recently sought to play down the dispute with Warsaw, calling it \u201csome internal questions\u201d<\/em> stemming from \u201cdifficulties in our history,\u201d<\/em> and urged Warsaw not to block Ukraine\u2019s long-standing EU ambitions. In an effort to ease tensions, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga traveled to Warsaw last week to propose an \u201canti-crisis package,\u201d<\/em> including historical roundtables.<\/p>\n

However, Ukraine has shown little sign of changing course. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian parliament approved plans to establish a national pantheon honoring prominent historical figures, including World War II-era nationalists. This week, Ukraine\u2019s state-backed Mirotvorets database of alleged \u201cenemies of the state\u201d<\/em>\u00a0blacklisted<\/a> Polish presidential chief of staff Zbigniew Bogucki after he used a historic Polish name for a region now largely located in western Ukraine.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"Klim
Russia declassifies files on Ukrainian organizer of WWII massacre<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Commenting on the dispute, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday<\/a> that the West has raised a \u201cterrorist monster\u201d<\/em> in Kiev by arming and funding it while ignoring its \u201cNazi\u201d<\/em> ideological foundations. While the wider West may not have realized who it was supporting because it had long \u201ccanceled history,\u201d<\/em> she said Poland \u201cknew they were supporting those who had killed their grandfathers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThey couldn\u2019t have not known. They thought they were just throwing bones into the kennel [in Kiev] and would later profit. Now Warsaw is trying to backtrack,\u201d<\/em> Zakharova told Sputnik Radio. \u201cBut that can no longer be undone by simply taking down the White Eagle, posting a few tweets, or making loud statements. They\u2019ve already armed these terrorists. Now those terrorists have, in essence, begun managing those who created them.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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