Tusk: Lviv’s ‘Year of UPA’ for 2027 Harms Ukraine, Hands Foes a Pretext

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk criticised the Lviv Regional Council’s decision to declare 2027 the “Year of Roman Shukhevych, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and Oleh Olzhych”, saying the move helps Ukraine’s enemies, according to Evropeiska Pravda, citing RMF24.

Speaking to journalists before flying to India, Tusk called it an “unwise decision” that first of all harms Ukraine itself.

“This is a problem for Ukraine”

“I appeal to all our partners in Kyiv, to those who understand how important good relations and allied cooperation between Poland and Ukraine are: it is your responsibility not to let such things happen. Such demonstrations harm only Ukraine and help those who wish it ill,” Tusk said.

He argued such steps give opponents of Ukraine’s EU accession a reason to block it. “If, for example, opponents of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union are looking for a pretext, at this very moment such a pretext was constructed by the deputies of the Lviv regional council. To say that I absolutely do not understand this suicidal tactic is to say nothing. This is not a problem for us. This is a problem for Ukraine,” Tusk said.

Background

Tusk said that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had put in considerable effort to “restore relations after the crisis over the order”, referring to the scandal in which Poland’s state award given to Zelensky was withdrawn in response to a Ukrainian unit being named after UPA heroes.

The Lviv Regional Council voted on 20 October to declare 2027 the year of Shukhevych, the UPA and Olzhych, causing fresh outrage in Poland. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the decision harms relations between the two countries. Zelensky recently said Ukraine’s relations with its neighbour Poland had improved.