Poland PM Tusk says political row with Ukraine is a 'strategic mistake'

WARSAW, June 21 - A conflict between politicians in Poland and Ukraine is a strategic mistake that will harm both sides, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Sunday on X, as he sought to defuse a row sparked by a historical dispute.

On Friday Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of the country's top honour, prompting three former Ukrainian presidents and other senior officials to return their state awards to Poland.

Nawrocki decided to revoke the Order of the White Eagle after Zelenskiy angered many in Poland by renaming a Ukrainian army unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, nationalists who massacred Poles during World War Two.

The pro-European Tusk was re-elected as prime minister in 2023, after leading a coalition that defeated the nationalist Law and Justice party with which Nawrocki is aligned.

"Wading into a conflict between politicians in Poland and Ukraine is a strategic mistake that will harm both sides: business-wise, geopolitically, and reputationally. And in politics, as we know, a mistake is worse than a crime," Tusk wrote.

"In discussions with my European partners, I strive to minimise losses and reduce tensions. This is no easy task," he added in a post on X. REUTERS