Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.Image: keystone
July 8, 2026, 3:38 p.mJuly 8, 2026, 3:38 p.m
The European Parliament has criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for naming an army unit that led to the conflict with Poland.
In a resolution, MPs described the action, in which Zelenskyj honored the controversial Ukrainian partisan unit UPA from the Second World War, as an “unnecessary and unprovoked escalation”.
MEPs regretted that the decision ignored Poland’s sensitivities and suffering, according to the text, which was adopted with 460 votes in favour, 136 against and 59 abstentions.
Zelensky triggered the historical controversy at the end of May when he gave an army unit the nickname “Hero of the UPA”. Kiev honors the memory of the underground fighters of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) because they resisted Soviet rule after World War II. During the war, however, the gunmen were responsible for massacres of tens of thousands of Poles and Jews in what is now western Ukraine. Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki later intensified the conflict by stripping Zelensky of Poland’s highest order.
According to the resolution, the EU Parliament is of the opinion that the Ukrainian president’s naming decision is not in line with European values and is damaging to neighborly relations. MEPs called for de-escalation and genuine and sincere reconciliation. (sda/dpa)