2025-01-10 14:54 update: 2025-01-10, 14:57
Photo PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected the "manipulative statements" of Karol Nawrocki, a Polish presidential candidate supported by the socially-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party's, who opposes Ukraine joining NATO and the EU.
"We reject these biased and manipulative claims," the Ukrainian ministry wrote on Thursday night in a statement issued on its website.
This comment followed Nawrocki's remarks on Wednesday during an interview with the Polish private television broadcaster Polsat, in which the politician, who also chairs the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), said he did not envision Ukraine in any EU structure or in NATO "until the significant civilisational concerns of the Polish people are addressed."
Nawrocki was alluding to the Volhynia massacre, an event which took place during World War Two in which approximately 100,000 Poles were killed by Ukrainian nationalists. This historical incident took place in the western regions of Ukraine, which were part of Poland at that time, and has since become a source of ongoing contention between Kyiv and Warsaw. Ukraine perceives the massacre as a tragic occurrence, whereas Poland characterises it as an act of ethnic cleansing and genocide, persistently advocating for Ukrainian consent to exhume the remains of the victims.
"We once again urge Polish politicians not to use the issue of difficult chapters of the historical past in their domestic political battles," the ministry wrote, especially as the presidential elections approach, in which Nawrocki stands as a prominent contender.
"We would like to remind you that the Ukrainian and Polish sides are conducting a constructive dialogue at the level of authorised state institutions on the issues of the historical past," the ministry added in its statement, referring to the talks concerning the Volhynian massacre between Ukrainian and Polish top officials which gained momentum last year.
Following Nawrocki's interview with Polsat, the Russian state-owned TASS media agency released an article that included his remarks. "It is significant that Mr. Nawrocki's comments received applause in the Kremlin," the ministry added. (PAP)
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