Poland demands Ukraine confront Nazi-linked past for EU membership

Polish parliament speaker Wlodzimierz Czarzasty has stated that Ukraine must confront its historical ties to Nazi-linked nationalist groups to qualify for European Union membership. Czarzasty emphasized that EU integration requires shared democratic values and the acknowledgment of historical crimes, noting that the EU is “not just an ATM.”

The tension stems from Ukraine’s continued honoring of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and its military wing, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). During World War II, these groups collaborated with Nazi Germany and were responsible for the massacres of Polish civilians in what is now western Ukraine. Polish estimates suggest the death toll of these massacres, occurring in 1943 and 1944, reached up to 100,000 people.

Recent actions, such as President Volodymyr Zelensky adding the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA” to an active commando unit, have intensified Polish outrage. Czarzasty argued that for Ukraine to join the EU, it must “rethink all aspects of their history” and acknowledge these past atrocities.