Andrii Sybiha urges Ukraine and Poland to resist Russian attempts to undermine their ties
Ukrainian ambassador to Poland Andrii Sybiha called on Kyiv and Warsaw not to allow Russia to drive a wedge between them. Writing in Rzeczpospolita, he advocated an objective approach to historical disputes, respect for the memory of victims and the principle that the memory of one people should not undermine that of another.
L'essentiel
- Andrii Sybiha wrote in Rzeczpospolita that Ukraine and Poland should resist Russian attempts to undermine their relations.
- He said Russia seeks to weaken the significance of the first months after the full-scale invasion and portray trust and solidarity as mistakes.
- Sybiha acknowledged that the Volyn tragedy remains a deep wound.
- He argued that the peoples of Ukraine and Poland should determine the content, level and tone of their mutual relations.
- Poland expects an objective view of the events, respect for victims and the burial of relatives, Sybiha said.
- Ukrainian and Polish specialists completed exhumations in the former villages of Ostrivky and Volia Ostrovecka in August.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the opening of SBU and intelligence archives on the Volyn events in July.
Pourquoi c’est important
The appeal aims to prevent a rupture between Ukraine and Poland, which Sybiha says Moscow is counting on. He presents the steps taken to resolve the historical dispute as historic progress in bilateral relations, while arguing that an objective view, the search for truth and mutual respect for memory can address the shared fears of victims' families.
Ce qui s’est passé
Andrii Sybiha wrote an article for the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, warning that Ukraine and Poland should not allow Russian efforts to undermine their mutual relations and trust. He said Moscow tries to discredit the solidarity demonstrated after the first months of the full-scale invasion and to exploit anti-Ukrainian rhetoric in political struggles to create divisions. Addressing the Volyn tragedy, Sybiha acknowledged that it remains a deep wound and called for an objective view of the events, respect for victims and the burial of relatives. He stressed that the memory of one people should not undermine the memory of another, and that this principle has allowed the two countries to move from declarations to concrete action, including archival work and joint exhumations.
Ce qu’en disent les sources ukrainiennes
Ukrainian coverage focuses on the risk of Russian interference in Ukrainian-Polish relations and on preserving the trust and solidarity that emerged after the start of the full-scale invasion. It also emphasizes readiness to address difficult history without forgetting the victims and cites concrete archival and exhumation work already carried out jointly with Poland. Particular attention is paid to the memory of Ukrainians who died or suffered forced displacement during the same period.
Ce qu’en disent les sources internationales
For a Polish readership, Sybiha stressed that Poland expects an objective view of the events of those years, respect for the memory of victims and the burial of close relatives. He emphasized that the memory of one people should not undermine the memory of another, and called on Poland and Ukraine to determine the content and tone of their relations themselves. The international context is framed by warnings about the Kremlin exploiting anti-Ukrainian rhetoric and seeking to sow doubts about trust and solidarity.
Contexte
In July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the opening of SBU and intelligence archives concerning the Volyn events. In August, Ukrainian and Polish specialists completed exhumations in the territories of the former villages of Ostrivky and Volia Ostrovecka. Sybiha also recalled that Pope John Paul II called on both peoples to place above what divides them what unites them.