Polish President Nawrocki strips Zelensky of award, Slovak party pushes similar revocation law

Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state honour, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the Ukrainian leader named a military unit after the World‑War‑II Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Nawrocki said it was "unimaginable for anyone today to glorify persons close to fascism". Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrij Sybiha called the move a "strategic mistake" that would benefit Moscow and announced the return of the Polish award, a decision echoed by presidential chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov and ambassador Vasyl Bodnar.

In Slovakia, the Slovak National Party (SNS) used the incident to propose legislation giving the National Council the authority to strip any state award granted by the president, prime minister or speaker if the recipient is deemed to have acted against Slovak interests. The party cited Zelensky’s receipt of the Alexander Dubček State Prize and argued that honours should not be used to honour those linked to historical crimes. The proposal was criticised by parliament speaker Richard Raši, who warned that awards are the highest recognition and should not be politicised.

The dispute highlights rising tensions over historical memory and the political use of state decorations in Central Europe.