Polish ruling party PiS blocks Ukraine EU bid over Volhynia dispute

On 11 July 2026, the 83rd anniversary of the Volhynian massacre, Polish officials and public figures intensified a dispute with Ukraine over the commemoration of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). PiS vice‑president Przemysław Czarnek announced that the party will submit a Sejm resolution opposing Ukraine’s accession to the European Union unless Kyiv renounces the “glorification of UPA criminals”. Party leader Jarosław Kaczyński repeated the pledge, saying Poland will do everything to prevent Ukraine’s entry with what he called “banderism”. Similar draft resolutions were presented by lawmaker Grzegorz Braun and other PiS members, calling for Ukrainian acknowledgment of the killings of an estimated 100 000 Poles in 1943. The issue also appeared in civil society: Wisła Kraków supporters displayed a banner reading “Pamięci nie wymordują. Wołyń to ludobójstwo”, while pop singer Doda posted a video of the Polish flag on the massacre’s anniversary and criticised President Zelensky’s receipt of Poland’s Order of the White Eagle. In the city of Zielona Góra, officials considered terminating a partnership with Ivano‑Frankivsk over the same symbolism. Historians such as Grzegorz Motyka called for exhumations and a Ukrainian official apology, adding to diplomatic tension between Warsaw and Kyiv.

The controversy has drawn statements from Poland’s foreign‑policy officials, who warned that any political dialogue must address the historical dispute, and it has become a focal point of debate over Poland’s role in Ukraine’s prospective EU membership.