Zelensky returns highest Polish honour after award stripped

Ukraine's president said his country was open to "engagement" about "difficult and painful chapters of our shared past".

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The Polish Order of the White Eagle was bestowed on Zelensky in 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda.

But Kyiv caused outrage last month after renaming a Ukrainian army unit after a group of controversial World War Two fighters called the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

Three senior Ukrainian officials have also said they are returning awards bestowed by Poland, to show solidarity with their president.

Many in Ukraine regard the UPA, which existed in the 1940s and 1950s, as heroes who fought for Ukrainian independence against the Soviet Red Army, Nazi Germany and Polish authorities. The group's red and black flag is often used by Ukrainian troops on the front line today.