Poland Halts Jet Transfers as Ukraine WWII Dispute Escalates

Bilateral relations between Poland and Ukraine deteriorated sharply on July 11, 2026, following a dispute over World War II history. Donald Tusk, the Polish Prime Minister, called on Ukraine to "sober up" and recognize the massacres of Polish civilians by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as genocide. Tusk announced the construction of a Wall of Remembrance in Warsaw, featuring an eternal flame and the names of identified victims of the 1943-1944 ethnic cleansing in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.

Diplomatic tensions peaked after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a commando unit after UPA figures in May. In response, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle. Poland has since halted the transfer of its remaining Soviet-era MiG-29 jets to Ukraine and raised concerns regarding Ukraine's European Union membership prospects.

While Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized the West for supporting Ukraine despite its alleged Nazi foundations, Tusk warned that the crisis would benefit Russia. To mitigate the row, Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Bodnar laid a wreath at Volyn Square in Warsaw, stating that Ukraine seeks the historical truth through exhumations and professional dialogue. Additionally, Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz visited Olyka, Ukraine, to attend a memorial service for Poles killed during the war.