Polish diplomat Piotr Łukasiewicz sparks controversy over Volhynia remarks

During the 83rd anniversary ceremonies for the 1943 Volhynia massacres in Olyka, Ukraine, Poland’s chargé d’affaires Piotr Łukasiewicz said that while commemorating Polish victims of Ukrainian violence he could not omit “Ukrainian victims of the Polish state before the war and during it.” His remarks were criticised as creating a false equivalence between the two sides.

Former diplomats, politicians and commentators called the speech a scandal and demanded his dismissal. Opposition figures such as Jerzy Kwaśniewski, Jan Piekło and Marek Magierowski urged the foreign ministry to remove him. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski defended Łukasiewicz, suggesting a “third option” that his words were made in a spirit of Christian forgiveness and reconciliation amid the common threat from Russia.

The episode heightened tensions in Poland‑Ukraine relations at a time when the two countries are jointly exhuming and identifying victims of the massacres. Analysts warned that the diplomatic row could be exploited by Russian interests seeking to aggravate bilateral strains.