KYIV: The presidents of Ukrainian and poland jointly marked the anniversary on Sunday of World War II-era massacres of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists, killings that have caused tension for generations between countries that are now close allies.
Warsaw has positioned itself as one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
However, the Volhynia massacres have continued to affect the relationship between the two countries, especially leading up to the anniversary on July 11th, which marks one of the deadliest days of a series of killings that occurred between 1943 and 1945.
According to Poland, approximately 100,000 Poles were killed in the massacres by Ukrainian nationalists, and there were also reprisal killings resulting in the deaths of thousands of Ukrainians.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda attended a joint church service in the Ukrainian city of Lutsk to honor the victims.
“Together we honor all the innocent victims of Volhynia! Memory brings us together!” wrote Duda’s office and Zelenskiy on Twitter. “Together we are stronger.” The service was attended by the leaders of the major Orthodox and Catholic churches in Ukraine, as well as the head of the Polish Bishop’s Conference, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki.
Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff for the Ukrainian president, expressed on Telegram that Ukraine and Poland stood united against a common enemy who aimed to divide them.
Duda described the service as “a testament of friendship in the face of a challenging history.”
The head of Duda’s office considered the joint commemoration by the presidents as a “historic” moment, but acknowledged that more work was necessary.