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Head of Zelenskyy's office refuses Polish order of merit

20 June 2026 11:05 (UTC +04:00)

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has declined the Gold Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland which he was awarded in 2025, Budanov said on Facebook, Ukrainska Pravda reports.

The move comes after Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle previously awarded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Budanov said Ukraine would assess the decision.

"Ukraine does not tell any other nation how to teach its history. Therefore we also reserve the just right to our own national memory and dignity.

I am convinced that such a gesture by the President of Poland is not about justice or anything of the sort. What kind of justice can there be if the Order of the White Eagle has still not been stripped, for example, from the Italian fascist dictator and Hitler's accomplice Benito Mussolini?...

...In light of this, I am refusing the Gold Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland which I was awarded by the President of Poland last year."

Budanov believes that Ukrainians "feel the same emotions and will support this step."

Kyrylo Budanov Ukraine Poland Volodymyr Zelenskyy Karol Nawrocki Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Order of the White Eagle Ukrainian-Polish relations national memory diplomacy awards controversy Ukrainian politics Polish politics foreign relations Facebook statement Ukrainska Pravda Benito Mussolini historical memory state honors international relations Eastern Europe presidential decision Ukraine-Poland tensions political dispute national dignity government officials