Zelenska Cancels Poland Visit Amid Scandal

Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskiy's wife, Olena Zelenska, has canceled her official visit to Poland due to a diplomatic scandal over the glorification of the leaders of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Gdansk University announced that Zelenska would no longer participate in a panel discussion as part of her program. The scandal arose from the historical crisis between Ukraine and Poland. The glorification of UPA leaders has caused historical crises between the two countries, affecting top-level diplomatic contacts. Zelenska's cancellation came ahead of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026, scheduled for June 25-26 in Gdansk. The tension between the two countries began when the head of the Polish National Remembrance Institute, Karol Nawrocki, deprived Zelenskiy of Poland's highest state honor, the White Eagle Order, citing the glorification of UPA leaders. This decision led many Ukrainian politicians to return their Polish awards. In May, Zelenskiy attended the reburial ceremony of OUN and UPA leader Andriy Melnyk and his wife. The naming of a Ukrainian Armed Forces center after 'UPA Heroes' also drew a strong reaction from Warsaw. The cancellation of Olena Zelenska's visit has strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.