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Poland strips Zelensky of top state honour over WWII dispute

Poland strips Zelensky of top state honour over WWII dispute
France 24 Saturday 20 June 2026, 12:44 UTC By FRANCE24 1 min read
Key Points

Poland has withdrawn its highest state honour from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after Kyiv named an army unit after a nationalist group that massacred Polish civilians during World War II. The decision by President Karol Nawrocki threatens to unleash a serious diplomatic crisis between the two neighbours – just days before a major conference on Ukraine's reconstruction is due to be held in the Polish city of Gdańsk. Story by Charlotte Lam and Antoine Fenaux.

Poland has withdrawn its highest state honour from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, after Kyiv named an army unit after a nationalist group that massacred Polish civilians during World War II. The decision by President Karol Nawrocki threatens to unleash a serious diplomatic crisis between the two neighbours – just days before a major conference on Ukraine's reconstruction is due to be held in the Polish city of Gdańsk. Story by Charlotte Lam and Antoine Fenaux.
Poland (LOCATION) Zelensky (PERSON) WWII (EVENT) Ukrainian (ORG) Volodymyr Zelensky (PERSON) Kyiv (LOCATION) Polish (ORG) World War II (EVENT) Karol Nawrocki (PERSON) Ukraine (LOCATION) Gdańsk (LOCATION) Charlotte Lam (PERSON) Antoine Fenaux (PERSON)
Originally published by France 24 Read original →

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