Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not go to a major reconstruction conference in Poland next week, The Guardian reported on June 23. The reason: a sharp disagreement between the two countries over history and state honors.

On June 19, Polish President Karol Nawrocki took away Zelenskyy's Order of the White Eagle — Poland's highest award. Why? Ukraine had named a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA, an organization from World War II that Poland and Ukraine remember very differently, according to Reuters and AP News. The next day, Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian leaders gave back their own Polish awards as a response, Al Jazeera reported.

Two Countries, One History, Different Stories

During World War II, the UPA killed many Polish civilians in two regions. Poland officially calls this genocide. Ukraine tells the story differently: the UPA was fighting Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, and Ukrainians remember it mainly as a resistance movement. This gap in how they remember the past never gets fully resolved, and it erupts every time one side uses symbols — like naming military units or giving out awards — connected to the UPA.

BBC News first reported Poland's warning on June 10. Within two weeks, the situation went from a threat to actual revocation to both sides returning awards. That speed shows how little room for disagreement exists on this topic right now.

What This Means for the Conference

The conference, happening June 25–26 in Gdańsk, is supposed to gather countries and institutions that will help rebuild Ukraine after the war. The actual work — talking about money, infrastructure, and rebuilding plans — can still happen. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko will represent her country instead of Zelenskyy.

But there is a bigger message here. When Poland and Ukraine hold a conference together about Ukraine's future, it is meant to show the world that the West is united behind Ukraine. Zelenskyy being there in person matters for that message. His absence creates a problem: it signals disunity right when both countries should look strong together.

For Poland's president, returning the award made sense at home. Polish citizens care deeply about how their country remembers the killings. A new president could not ignore the UPA naming without angering voters. But doing it just before co-hosting a major conference about supporting Ukraine was a risky move.

Zelenskyy staying away sends his own message. If he showed up now—after his award was taken and he gave back Polish honors—it would look like he accepted Poland's terms. He did not. What comes next depends on whether either leader can afford to keep this fight going while both countries still need each other for rebuilding, security, and trade.