Nawrocki: Poland Ready for Dialogue, But Relations with Ukraine Must Be “Symmetrical”
Polish President Karol Nawrocki has stated the need to restore balance in relations between Warsaw and Kyiv, emphasizing the desire for “symmetry” in the interests of the two countries.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to Ukrinform, citing wPolsce24.
Karol Nawrocki stressed that Poland will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, but that these relations must be equal.
The president noted that he wants to make cooperation with Kyiv “real,” taking into account not only the needs of Ukraine, but also the position of Polish society. He warned that the implementation of Ukrainian interests cannot take place without taking into account the voice of the Polish people.
Nawrocki stressed that Poland should not be a “hostage” to any bilateral relations and seeks to openly raise issues that are important to Warsaw. Among them, he mentioned the issue of historical memory, in particular the exhumations in Volhynia. The president said that his goal is to speak “with the voice of the Polish people” and represent their position in relations with Ukraine.
At the same time, the Polish leader invited Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Warsaw, stressing that such a meeting would also allow for discussion of all sensitive issues in bilateral relations and the development of a common vision for further cooperation.
“I cordially invite President Zelenskyy. This is a great opportunity to visit the million Ukrainians living in Poland and to thank the Poles for what they have done over the past three years to help Ukraine,” Navrotsky stated.
The Volyn tragedy is one of the most painful chapters in the shared history of Ukrainians and Poles. Historical and political assessments of the causes of the mass killings in 1943–1944 remain divided.
Estimates of the number of victims also vary. According to the Polish Institute of National Remembrance, about 100,000 Poles and about 5,000 Ukrainians were killed. Ukrainian historians, however, cite different figures — approximately 35,000–40,000 Poles and up to 20,000 Ukrainians.
Despite the difference in interpretations, both sides recognize that the Volyn tragedy remains an important topic of historical memory that requires honest dialogue and mutual respect.
Recently, Ukraine took another step towards Poland by allowing search and exhumation work on the victims of the Volyn tragedy in the Rivne region. The Ministry of Culture granted official permission to carry out the work in the village of Uhly and invited Polish representatives to participate directly on site.
Ukraine is thus showing that it is open to further cooperation with Poland on issues of historical memory, because only through honest dialogue can true mutual understanding between nations be achieved.
As The Gaze reported earlier, support for Ukrainians in Poland, extremely high after Russia's full-scale invasion, is now noticeably declining, while anti-Ukrainian sentiments and incidents of discrimination are on the rise amid political struggles in Warsaw.