WARSAW, Poland — On Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced his plans to harness the country’s presidency of the European Union to advance Ukraine’s aspirations for membership, revealing that recent discussions had alleviated some long-standing tensions between the two nations.
“We will break the standstill we have in this issue,” Tusk expressed to the media in Warsaw, standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “We will accelerate the accession process.”
Currently, Poland holds the rotating presidency of the EU, which comprises 27 nations, offering it a notable opportunity to prioritize Ukraine’s membership discussion over the next six months.
Zelenskyy’s visit coincided with an agreement allowing Ukraine to commence the exhumation of Polish victims from World War II-era massacres perpetrated by Ukrainian nationalists, a sensitive matter that has historically strained relations. The timing was significant, as Tusk had recently disclosed advancements in facilitating these exhumations.
Despite Poland’s strong support for Ukraine since the onset of Russia’s invasion nearly three years ago, the unresolved issue surrounding the Polish victims buried in mass graves in the Volhynia region has continued to evoke a sense of bitterness among many Poles. With Tusk in office for over a year, he is under pressure from domestic constituents to show tangible progress on this substantial issue, especially considering a competitive presidential election in May, where his party’s candidate faces rising challenges from nationalist opposition figures.
While addressing the media next to Zelenskyy, Tusk highlighted efforts to establish a mutual understanding regarding the historical grievances stemming from the Volhynian massacre alongside other sensitive themes in their shared history. “We will assist Ukraine, but we must also safeguard our national interests, a sentiment that is clearly recognized by both sides,” he emphasized.
Zelenskyy acknowledged that the ministries of culture were already laying the groundwork for collaborative efforts in handling the exhumation specifics. “We must progress together with Poland. As neighbors, we face a common threat in Russia, which persists now and will continue in the future. We must do everything in our power to bolster our alliance,” he affirmed.
Tusk, a pro-European centrist, has been striving to foster a more inclusive patriotism—part of his strategy to counter nationalist conservatives who seek to portray themselves as the primary defenders of Poland’s national interests.
During World War II, large segments of Western Ukraine were under Polish dominion, where Ukrainians often were subjected to oppression by the Polish landowning class. This historical friction culminated in ethnic violence during the war, with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army conducting brutal campaigns against Polish civilians, resulting in the massacre of tens of thousands in the Volhynia and Eastern Galicia regions from 1943 to 1944.
The backlash was severe, leading to thousands of Ukrainian fatalities in retaliatory attacks. Poland declared these massacres genocide in 2016, which prompted Ukraine to halt exhumations in response. In recent years, Poland has been advocating for the permission to exhume the victims to ensure respectful reburial.
This matter is particularly delicate for Ukraine, as some World War II-era nationalists are considered heroes by many Ukrainians for their fight for state sovereignty. Recently, a non-governmental organization named the Freedom and Democracy Foundation announced its plans to start exhumation efforts in Ukraine by April.
