Kyiv urges Poland to avoid fueling tensions over Volyn tragedy national holiday

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said this in a statement.

On Thursday, June 5, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry criticized the decision of the Polish Sejm to establish July 11 as a day of remembrance for the victims of the “genocide committed by the OUN and UPA in the eastern territories of the Second Polish Republic.”

The Foreign Ministry views it as contrary to the spirit of good neighborly relations between Ukraine and Poland.

“Such unilateral steps do not contribute to achieving mutual understanding and reconciliation, which our countries have been working on for a long time, particularly in the format of the Joint Ukrainian-Polish Working Group on Historical Issues, which operates with the participation of the ministries of culture and national memory institutions from both countries,” the statement reads.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry emphasized that Ukraine “consistently advocates for a scientific and unbiased study of the complex pages of our shared history.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that true reconciliation must be built through dialogue, mutual respect, and the collaborative work of historians — not through unilateral political judgments.

It therefore called on Poland to “to refrain from steps that could lead to increased tension in bilateral relations and undermine the achievements gained through constructive dialogue and cooperation between Ukraine and Poland.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that Poles should not see Ukrainians as enemies, and Ukrainians should not see Poles as enemies, because the true enemy is shared — Russia.