Poland to raise Volyn tragedy in Ukraine's EU membership talks

This was stated on Monday in an interview on Polsat News by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski, as reported by Ukrinform.

“The first section of negotiations regarding Ukraine's accession to the EU will be the rule of law and justice. As part of this, the issue of conducting exhumations (of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy) will certainly be discussed,” Bartoszewski said.

He added, “If this section is not closed, then Ukraine will not progress in the subsequent sections.”

The deputy head of Polish diplomacy emphasized that the possibility of exhuming Polish victims and giving them a dignified burial is “absolutely evident in our (European) culture.”

“We are not blackmailing Ukraine; we are simply stating that they must behave according to European rules,” Bartoszewski stressed.

He expressed the view that Warsaw will ultimately reach an agreement on this issue in its relations with Kyiv.

“We do not want revenge; we do not demand punishment; we simply want a dignified burial for our ancestors,” emphasized the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland.

For his part, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski stated in an interview on TOK FM on Monday that the need for a dignified burial for the victims of the Volyn crime “is a matter of the European cultural code that goes back to ancient times and is also a Christian obligation.”

When asked whether Ukraine would not be able to join the EU without resolving the issue of exhumations of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy, Sikorski emphasized that Ukraine's accession to the EU is a “very complex process.”

“We will be negotiating Ukraine's accession to the EU; it will be a very complex process. Ukraine has achieved candidate status and the beginning of negotiations through its heroism, but the negotiations themselves will be a complicated process... And we will evaluate Ukraine's European-ness,” Sikorski emphasized.

He added that ‘European-ness’ has various aspects, and the first section of negotiations will involve issues related to human rights, the rule of law, democracy, etc.

As reported, Polish President Andrzej Duda recently stated that a “breakthrough” must occur in the problematic historical issues between Poland and Ukraine, but it cannot happen as a result of “blatant blackmail,” as this will bring “nothing good” to Poland.

Additionally, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Poland, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and subsequently Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland's agreement to Ukraine's EU membership would depend on the resolution of historical issues with Poland.

The topic of the Volyn tragedy is one of the most controversial in Ukrainian-Polish relations. Kyiv and Warsaw have somewhat differing views on the causes, responsibility, and number of victims on both sides. The Polish side insists that the Ukrainian side bears sole responsibility for the crimes committed in Volyn between 1943 and 1945. In contrast, the Ukrainian side emphasizes that both sides bear responsibility and that apologies should be mutual.

In past years, and currently, Russian propaganda has actively used the topic of the Volyn tragedy to sow discord between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples.