Zelensky offers Poland olive branch in row over shared history

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signalled a willingness to reach out to Poland in the dispute over a dark chapter in the shared history of both countries.

Ukraine is ready to expedite the exhumation of Polish victims of the Volhynia massacres at the end of World War II, Zelensky said in Warsaw on Friday after a meeting with his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki.

The remarks refer to ethnic expulsions and massacres in the 1943-45 period, primarily in the Volhynia region, previously Polish and now part of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army murdered up to 100,000 Poles at the time, hoping to underpin the Ukrainian claim to the territory by rising up against the German occupiers and eliminating the civilian Polish population.

Ukraine only allowed excavations to search for the victims a few months ago. Exhumations have begun at two locations.

However, progress is slow, which Ukraine blames on the difficult conditions in light of the ongoing Russian invasion.

The issue has long been a strain between Warsaw and Kiev.

Poland, a member of both the EU and NATO, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022 and has taken in almost 1 million Ukrainian refugees.

Nawrocki, a national conservative and opponent of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, has repeatedly demanded more gratitude and willingness to compromise from Ukraine.

A historian by profession, Nawrocki expressed satisfaction. He said he was convinced after the conversation with Zelensky that all bureaucratic and legal issues, which had previously been obstacles to resolving the consequences of the World War II massacres, would be cleared away.

Zelensky thanked the Poles emphatically for their military assistance and for taking in the refugees. "Poland has always supported us, has always been by our side," he said. For this, Ukraine will always be grateful, he added.

Kaynak: DPA