Sybiha-Sikorski talks offer hope to normalize Ukraine-Poland relations - political analyst

He said this on Espreso TV.

"The talks between Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski present an opportunity for the normalization of relations, but they are not evidence that normalization has already occurred. Everything depends on us. If we view the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy as completely impossible, how can we ever determine the actual number of victims? We need to adopt a pragmatic approach to our relations with neighboring countries; otherwise, good neighborliness will remain unattainable," Mahda said.

In January, Poland will assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union. According to the political scientist, Ukrainians must consider what is more important: reaching an understanding with the country set to preside over the EU Council for six months following Viktor Orbán's tenure, or restoring the tablet on the monument on Monastyr Mountain, which no longer exists in its original form.

"There is an intriguing point to consider: the soldiers of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army buried on Monastyr Mountain were likely citizens of the Second Polish Republic, as were the Poles and Ukrainians who perished in Volyn. Therefore, we must address these issues comprehensively. We should not expect to receive preferential treatment, but rather, we need to approach these matters pragmatically," Mahda added.

• In late October, the Polish Foreign Ministry announced that Warsaw plans to raise the topic of the Volyn tragedy in its relations with Kyiv, in particular, the exhumation of Polish victims, in the first negotiations on Ukraine's membership in the EU.
• Foreign Minister Sybiha expressed Ukraine's readiness to discuss the Volyn tragedy with Poland. At the same time, the head of the UINP, Anton Drobovych, said that the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance intends to include work on the search for and exhumation of the remains of victims of the Volyn tragedy in its action plan for 2025. However, they noted that they had not received any official requests from Poland to allow the exhumation of the bodies of the victims of the Volyn tragedy.
• On November 26, Polish and Ukrainian Foreign Ministers Radoslaw Sikorski and Andrii Sybiha issued a joint statement in Warsaw in which Ukraine confirmed that there are no obstacles to the exhumation of the victims of the Volyn tragedy.