Ukraine's third president also renounces Polish Order of White Eagle

Jun 21, 2026 - 03:11

Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine's third president, has also renounced the Polish Order of the White Eagle following Polish President Karol Nawrocki's decision to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of the order.

Source: Yushchenko's press secretary Iryna Vannykova on Facebook

Quote: "Viktor Yushchenko, the third president of Ukraine, has taken the decision to renounce the Polish Order of the White Eagle as a mark of his disagreement with the decision to revoke the award given to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy."

Details: It is noted that at this time, any attempts to revoke such a decision go far beyond attitudes toward a single politician and inevitably affect millions of Ukrainians who are defending their country on the front line every day, working for victory in the rear and losing their loved ones in the war.

Vannykova said she remembers the tears in the eyes of Yushchenko and then-Polish president Lech Kaczyński when Polish victims of a punitive operation during the Second World War were commemorated in Huta Pieniacka, Lviv Oblast, in 2009.

"At that time, Yushchenko and Kaczyński consciously chose the path of reconciliation. A few years earlier, our presidents had together honoured Ukrainian victims in the village of Pawłokoma in Poland and emphasised the need for Ukrainian-Polish understanding despite the tragic events of the past," she added, also recalling Poland's assistance to Ukrainians in the early months of Russia's full-scale invasion.

"Today, Ukraine is defending not only itself. Our soldiers are defending the eastern border of the whole of Europe. And any steps that weaken Ukrainian-Polish unity ultimately serve only the Kremlin," Vannykova wrote.

Previously: Earlier on 20 June, Ukraine's second president, Leonid Kuchma, renounced the Order of the White Eagle.

Background:

On the evening of 19 June, Nawrocki took the decision to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle in connection with the naming of a Ukrainian military unit after the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. He said Poland would not allow EU accession for those who do not understand the need to renounce the "cult of totalitarianism and violence".
Following this, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasyl Bodnar, and Head of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov announced that they would be returning the Polish state awards they had received.
On 20 June, Zelenskyy said he had sent the order back to Nawrocki by post.
On 20 June, Nawrocki explained that he had stripped Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle because Zelenskyy had crossed the Poles' "pain threshold".