Poland unlikely to raise historical issues with Ukraine during its EU presidency - expert

During its presidency of the European Union, Poland is unlikely to raise historical issues at the negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, but it would be better if the atmosphere between the two countries improved.

Wojciech Kononczuk, the director of the Warsaw-based Center for Eastern Studies, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"All the more so because Polish government officials openly say that although we have disputes, they do not affect the fact that Poland supports and will support Ukraine militarily," Kononczuk said.

At the same time, he emphasized the importance of the atmosphere prevailing in relations between Ukraine and Poland.

"I know that Ukrainians would very much like all sections of the negotiation process to be open during the Polish presidency. I don't know if this will happen, but I am sure that the atmosphere between Poland and Ukraine would be better if these topics related to search and exhumation were removed," the expert said.

Kononczuk also noted that currently there is no discussion about the interpretation of history between Poland and Ukraine, with the government and society in Poland worried about the permission for exhumation.

"Ukrainian government officials say that there is no ban, but Polish applications for search and exhumation remain either unanswered or rejected after many months of waiting. It seems to me that this is not a problem that cannot be solved," the expert said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on September 13 that Kyiv expects significant progress in negotiations on EU membership during Poland's presidency in the first half of 2025.

At the same time, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called on Ukraine to resolve the issue of granting permits for searching and exhuming the victims of the Volyn tragedy.

The subject of the Volyn tragedy is one of the most controversial ones in Ukrainian-Polish relations. The views of Kyiv and Warsaw on the causes, responsibility and number of victims on both sides are somewhat different. Poland insists that the Ukrainian side bears the sole responsibility for the crimes committed in 1943-1945 in Volyn. Ukraine, in turn, emphasizes that both sides are responsible, and the apology should be mutual.

Photo: Mateusz Morawiecki / Facebook