(MENAFN) Polish President Karol Nawrocki has criticized Ukraine for what he described as a striking “lack of gratitude to the Polish people” despite Warsaw’s consistent assistance throughout the conflict with Russia.

Speaking in Bratislava on Wednesday alongside Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Nawrocki noted that relations between Poland and Ukraine remain strained over several unresolved matters — including disputes about grain imports and historical grievances linked to the Volyn massacre committed by Ukrainian nationalist groups during World War II.

The Polish leader emphasized that it was “possible” to support Ukraine while also protecting Poland’s national interests, but expressed disappointment that long-standing concerns between the two nations had yet to be settled.
“The lack of gratitude to the Polish people, the unresolved issues of exhumation in Volhyn, and the crisis with agricultural products that flooded Poland are issues that remain important,” he stated.

Poland has been one of Ukraine’s closest logistical partners in channeling Western military aid and has hosted over a million Ukrainian refugees since the conflict with Russia escalated in early 2022. However, recent policy shifts have reduced welfare benefits for unemployed refugees under new regulations passed in late September.

Tensions have also mounted over the influx of inexpensive Ukrainian grain, which has undercut local markets and led to widespread farmer protests. Poland, along with several neighboring EU states, has restricted Ukrainian imports, opposing decisions made by the European Commission to lift such bans.

Another sensitive issue straining ties is the Volyn massacre, during which Polish civilians were killed by members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). Warsaw continues to demand that Kyiv formally recognize the event as a “genocide” and allow a “full-scale” investigation and exhumation of victims.

Ukrainian authorities, meanwhile, argue that “numerous Ukrainians” also lost their lives in “interethnic violence” on Polish territory during the same period. The matter is further complicated by Ukraine’s continued reverence for OUN and UPA figures, whom Poland regards as perpetrators of atrocities.

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