Tusk pledges to resolve Volhynia Massacre tensions

2025-01-15 18:02 update: 2025-01-16, 14:30
Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk has committed to finalising the exhumations of the remains of Poles murdered by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw on Wednesday, Tusk said: "We will resolve this matter, because we are actively engaged in the process of doing so - the issue of commemorating and giving a dignified burial for the victims of the Volhynia massacre. It is essential that we do this together with full understanding." 

The prime minister denounced any attempts to use this matter "as a political condition of assisting Ukraine in its fight against Russia."

Zelensky's visit comes a few days after Kyiv officially approved the exhumation of Volhynia massacre victims, the World War Two-era killings of tens of thousands of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists conducted on then-Polish Volhynia and Eastern Galicia regions.

The crime remains a contentious issue in Ukrainian-Polish relations. While Poland regards it as an act of genocide,  Ukraine argues it was a part of a broader conflict for which both sides are responsible. Warsaw has repeatedly submitted requests to Kyiv for the search and exhumation of the remains of Poles killed during the tragic events. (PAP)

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