Zelenskyy gives state awards to Polish volunteers in Lublin, skips meeting senior leaders

Amid the brewing tensions between Ukraine and Poland, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a brief visit to its Eastern European neighbour, however, he skipped meeting senior Polish officials. During his visit, the Ukrainian leader awarded two Polish volunteers with the Ukrainian state awards on Saturday. Zelenskyy concluded his trip to the United States where he attended the United Nations General Assembly. From there he made a brief stopover in the Polish city of Lublin and took a train to Ukraine on Saturday. 

“While in Lublin on my way back to Ukraine, I was honoured to award two prominent Poles, volunteers, Bianka Zalewska and Damian Duda, Ukrainian state awards,” the Ukrainian president wrote in a tweet sharing the video of the ceremony. “I thank Poland for its invaluable support and solidarity that helps defend the freedom of our entire Europe!” he added. The ties between the two nations soured to a great extent after Poland decided last week to extend a ban on Ukrainian grain imports along with other Eastern European countries like Hungary and Slovakia. The Ukrainian leader went on to anger his neighbour when he told the UNGA that Ukraine was working to preserve land routes for grain exports, but that the “political theatre” around imports was only helping Russia. 

While in Lublin on my way back to Ukraine, I was honored to award two prominent Poles, volunteers, Bianka Zalewska and Damian Duda, Ukrainian state awards.

Bianka is a journalist for TVN Discovery Poland who has helped provide humanitarian aid to Ukrainians and transport wounded… pic.twitter.com/96Jl2h7gsu

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 23, 2023

‘Never insult Poles again,’ Polish PM warns Zelenskyy 

Earlier this week, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “never insult Poles again." According to the Polish news outlet PAP,  the Polish PM unleashed a scathing attack against Zelenskyy at a rally in Świdnik. “I want to tell President Zelenskyy to never again insult Poles, as he did recently during his speech at the UN. Poles will not allow this. And protecting Poland's good name is not only my duty and honour, it is the most important task of the government of the republic. In the current geopolitical context, we will defend all our arguments,” Morawiecki asserted, making it clear that the government will prioritise its own citizens. “We will defend all our arguments in the current geopolitical context and we know how these arguments should be shaped,” he added. 

Prior to this warning, the Polish Prime Minister announced that the Eastern European country will no longer send arms to Ukraine, amid the trade dispute. “Poland is no longer transferring any weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming ourselves with the most modern weapons,” Morawiecki said in a television interview, earlier this month. Government spokesman, Piotr Mueller, later clarified that the country was now only providing supplies of ammunition and armaments that had previously been agreed to, noting that a series of “absolutely unacceptable” statements and diplomatic gestures appeared on the Ukrainian side, can be considered as a part of the reason for such a measure taken by Warsaw.