A former Polish defence minister warned of growing hostility, while Kyiv moves to open wartime archives and speed exhumations. Diplomacy is now urgent.
Former Polish Minister of Defense Janusz Onyszkiewicz expressed his view on rising anti-Ukrainian sentiment in the country during an interview.
We must be cautious and respond to these incidents. But it’s not that we are on some slippery slope and will slide into an increasingly worse situation. We simply need to respond to this clearly and decisively.
– Janusz Onyszkiewicz
Onyszkiewicz also expressed hope that the wave of anti-Ukrainian sentiments, sparked by the latest events, “will fade over time”.
– Janusz Onyszkiewicz
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has instructed the government to intensify contacts with Poland. Among the planned steps are opening the archives of the SBU and the Foreign Intelligence Service regarding the tragic events in Volyn, granting more permits to continue search and exhumation work, and strengthening the capacity to carry out these measures.
The Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, reacted positively to the steps taken by the Ukrainian president and expressed Warsaw’s readiness for serious talks with Kyiv.
On July 11, the President of Ukraine stated that there is one common threat for Ukraine and Poland today: Russia.
In the area of the former villages Ostrivky and Volia Ostrovyetska, within the Kovel District of Volyn Oblast, since July 13 a new phase of investigations has begun aimed at exhumation and subsequent reburial of the remains of local residents who died in August 1943.
Such steps underline the two countries’ commitment to strengthening dialogue and joint efforts in restoring historical truth and preserving the memory of the tragic events of the past.