Democracy Digest: Ukraine Recovery Conference in Poland Overshadowed by Diplomatic Rift
A historical dispute between Ukraine and Poland has overshadowed the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky not attending due to a rift with Polish President Karol Nawrocki. The conference, a pet project of the Polish government, aims to support Ukraine's defence against Russian aggression and postwar reconstruction. The diplomatic rift is dismaying for those who see Polish-Ukrainian relations as vital for Kyiv's defence against Russian aggression.
- ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk due to a diplomatic rift with Polish President Karol Nawrocki.
- ▪The rift is centered on a historical dispute over the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which is considered a symbol of heroic resistance by Ukrainians but is also guilty of massacring ethnic Polish civilians during World War II.
- ▪The conference was attended by EU officials, the Visegrad Group PMs, and leaders from the UK and Germany, but the Polish president was not invited.
- ▪The dispute is seen as a major setback for Polish-Ukrainian relations, which are vital for Ukraine's defence against Russian aggression.
- ▪A report by the Polish Economic Institute found that over a third of households in Poland now consist of just a single person, highlighting demographic and cultural shifts in the country.
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Edit Inotai, Jules Eisenchteter, Peter Dlhopolec and Nicholas WatsonBratislava, Budapest, Prague, WarsawBIRNJune 26, 202607:47Elsewhere, V4 “relaunches” at meeting of PMs in Hungary; Slovak government frames criticism of its economic management as a media problem; Czechia’s top court orders government to ensure president can participate in NATO summit. A festering historical dispute between Ukraine and Poland has boiled over into a major rift between the two neighbours, overshadowing this week’s Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Gdansk. A pet project of the Polish government dedicated to Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression and postwar reconstruction, the URC opened on Thursday without its star guest and co-host, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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