Ukraine and Poland have reached an agreement allowing the exhumation of Polish victims massacred by Ukrainians during World War II, marking a breakthrough in their long-standing dispute.
The deal, announced on November 26 during Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha’s visit to Warsaw, resolves a major point of tension between the two nations.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski confirmed that Ukraine would no longer block Polish efforts to search for and exhume the remains of victims, in cooperation with Ukrainian authorities. Sybiha emphasized that “every family has the right to honour the memory of their ancestors,” and both countries are working on practical mechanisms to carry out these efforts.
The Volhynia massacre of 1943, in which an estimated 100,000 Poles were killed by the Ukrainian Liberation Army (UPA), remains a divisive issue. Poland considers the killings genocide, while Ukraine views them as part of its fight for independence. Ukraine’s previous refusal to allow exhumations had heightened tensions, with some Polish politicians, like Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, threatening that Ukraine’s EU ambitions could be jeopardized.
Poland’s opposition party, PiS, welcomed the agreement but urged quicker action. Former education minister Przemysław Czarnek remarked that “unless the exhumations resume immediately, little will have changed.”
Sikorski also confirmed Poland’s commitment to supporting Ukraine’s EU accession. With Poland assuming the EU Council presidency in January, he pledged to prioritize Ukraine’s integration and push for additional sanctions on Russia, particularly targeting its shadow fleet.
Despite Poland’s support for Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion, relations have been strained over issues like the Volhynia massacre and Ukrainian grain imports. However, this new agreement marks a key step in improving bilateral ties.
