Zelensky to skip key Ukraine conference in Poland over WWII row

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KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will skip the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference in Poland as a diplomatic row over World War II memory escalates.

The annual event, which begins Thursday in Gdansk, aims to focus on Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, but the summit is now overshadowed by intense tensions between the two neighbors.

The conflict intensified after Poland’s nationalist president stripped Zelensky of the White Eagle Order, the nation's highest honor.

This followed Zelensky’s decision to name a military unit after the Ukrainian insurgent army (UPA), a group celebrated as independence heroes in Ukraine but viewed as war criminals in Poland. In response, Zelensky symbolically returned the award.

Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko will lead Ukraine's delegation in Zelensky's absence. While Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has sought to defuse the situation, he stated the blame for the crisis lies with Kyiv. Zelensky accused Polish politicians of fueling anti-Ukrainian sentiment for domestic political gain.