According to RT, former Polish Prime Minister Lech Kaczyński stated in a program on June 20 local time that Ukraine should also return the military equipment provided by Poland.
He said, "Since everyone is so eager to return what they have received, let them bring back the MiG fighters, tanks, and weapons they have obtained."
Earlier that day, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced on social media that he had returned the Polish highest state honor, the "White Eagle Medal", to Polish President Morawiecki.
To express their support for Zelensky, former Ukrainian presidents Leonid Kuchma, Viktor Yanukovych, Pyotr Poroshenko, as well as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Serhii Sviridov, President's Office Director Budanov, and Ambassador to Poland Bohdan Bordayar all announced the return of the medals granted to them by Poland.
On June 19th, Navrotsky decided to revoke the 'White Eagle Medal' awarded to Zelenytsky. This was because in late May, Zelenytsky signed an administrative order designating a special unit of the Ukrainian army as the 'Heroes of the Ukrainian Resistance Army'.
It is reported that “Ukrainian Resistance” is the name of a nationalist organization. This organization has been accused of killing about 100,000 Polish civilians during World War II. In 2016, the Polish parliament declared the crimes committed by “Ukrainian Resistance” to be genocide.
According to reports, Milière’s remarks refer to the military assistance that Poland has provided to Ukraine since the Russo-Ukrainian conflict in 2022. Poland has been one of Ukraine’s most steadfast military supporters, providing MiG-29 fighter jets, Mi-24 helicopters, tanks, armored vehicles, ammunition, and more. In addition, Poland is also a key hub for Western military aid to Ukraine.
Mileil also criticized Zelenskyy’s response on the 20th. In his response, Zelenskyy said that he would not argue with Navrotski, as the ‘White Eagle Medal’ has also been awarded to Alexandra II and Mussolini.
Mileir pointed out that Zelensky could have refused to accept the honor at the time of announcement, rather than accepting it and later questioning the list of award recipients.
