Ukrainian FM makes quiet exit after talks with Polish counterpart

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha left the Polish Foreign Ministry in Warsaw without commenting to reporters after holding talks with his Polish counterpart, Radosław Sikorski, TVN24 reports.

Sybiha traveled to the Polish capital in an effort to help ease the recent tensions in bilateral relations.

Ahead of the meeting, the Ukrainian foreign minister expressed hope for constructive dialogue, saying, "We are destined to be good neighbors, and this is what we will be talking about."

Paweł Kowal, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Polish Sejm, said official statements would be issued following the meeting between Sikorski and Sybiha.

Relations between Warsaw and Kyiv deteriorated in June after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the honorary title of Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) to one of Ukraine's military units.

In Poland, the UPA is widely regarded as responsible for the 1943 Volyn massacres, in which more than 100,000 Polish civilians were killed.

Following the move, Polish President Karol Nawrocki revoked the Order of the White Eagle previously bestowed on Zelenskyy. Several Ukrainian officials subsequently announced they would return Polish state decorations, while a number of Polish recipients also gave back honors they had received from Ukraine.

Amid the diplomatic dispute, Zelenskyy declined to attend the international conference on Ukraine's reconstruction held in Gdańsk on June 25–26. He also announced plans to establish a Pantheon of Ukrainian Heroes. On July 1, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada adopted legislation creating a National Pantheon, where members of the UPA and other historical figures may be reburied.

By Vafa Guliyeva