Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a notable shift in his travel arrangements, returning to use the Rzeszów Airport in Poland after several months of flying out of Chișinău, Moldova. This change comes amid signs of warming relations between Ukraine and Poland, which had been strained due to a recent controversy surrounding Poland’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the White Eagle.
Previously, Zelensky’s reliance on Chișinău for flights was considered inconvenient and time-consuming, as the journey from the Moldovan capital to Kyiv takes significantly longer than traveling directly to the Polish city of Przemyśl. Additionally, the route posed security concerns as Russian drones have increasingly violated Moldovan airspace.
During a recent EU summit in Brussels, Zelensky’s choice to depart from Poland demonstrates a shift, with media outlets reporting that this change indicates that “something has changed” between the two nations. His meeting with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk further underscores this development, as Tusk shared a photo of the two leaders on social media accompanied by the message: “We are not just neighbors. We are friends on whom we can rely in tough times. And no one can ever change this.”
According to European Pravda, the thawing relations are not limited to the summit in Brussels. In recent weeks, Poland has provided several military aid packages to Ukraine and has granted permission for the exhumation of Ukrainian remains from the post-war period, suggesting a renewed commitment to cooperation. The publication notes that it appears there are positive changes in the Polish-Ukrainian relationship.
Background
- One of the most challenging issues in Ukrainian-Polish relations is the interpretation of the Volhynian tragedy during World War II. In 2016, the Polish Sejm declared the events a genocide, a decision that was met with condemnation from Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, which deemed it an inappropriate assessment of tragic events. On July 17, Zelensky announced plans to declassify all archives related to the Volhynian tragedy held by Ukraine’s Security Service and Foreign Intelligence Service, a move that was positively received in Poland.
- This May, Zelensky honored a military unit with the name of Ukrainian Insurgent Army heroes, provoking strong criticism in Poland, including from President Karol Nawrocki, who rescinded the Order of the White Eagle awarded to Zelensky. In response, Zelensky returned the award to Poland via postal service.
