Polish Deputy Foreign Minister warns Ukraine of problems over Pantheon law

Andriy Melnyk is planned to be reburied in the Pantheon. Photo: Zelenskyy’s X account

Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki has warned Ukraine of a sharp deterioration in relations with European countries. The Polish diplomat stated that the glorification of individuals involved in mass killings would close Kyiv's path to Europe, reports RMF 24.

The statement was prompted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signing a law on the creation of a National Pantheon. Speaking earlier at the Veterans Forum in Kyiv, the Ukrainian president emphasized that the pantheon would be the resting place of individuals who fought for the country's independence, and that the question of burials would be decided exclusively by Ukrainians themselves.

In response, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Bosacki acknowledged every state's right to independently choose its national heroes, but pointed to the inevitable consequences of such a step.

"If people responsible for mass crimes against the civilian population, such as Bandera or Shukhevych, were indeed to appear in Ukraine's National Pantheon, this would significantly worsen Ukraine's relations not only with Poland, but with Europe in general," Bosacki warned.

The diplomat recalled that at the recent funeral of OUN leader Yevhen Konovalets in Kyiv, there were virtually no representatives of European diplomatic missions, which was the result of targeted Polish diplomatic activity.

"Ukraine knows that with the banners of those who killed – incidentally, not only Poles, but also some Ukrainians, as well as Czechs, Jews, and Roma, that is, the UPA founders during its worst period in 1943–1944 – Ukraine will face an enormous problem with integration into Europe," the Deputy Minister stated.

The UOJ previously reported that the European Parliament had already condemned Zelensky for glorifying the UPA.

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