When Wojciech Kostrzewa, who represents some of Poland’s biggest firms, went on a Polish economic mission to Kyiv last month, he found a “very good” atmosphere and a collaborative spirit with his Ukrainian counterparts.<\/p>\n
But a political row erupted just days later over events that took place over 80 years ago.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky infuriated Poles by signing a decree naming a military unit after the UPA, nationalist insurgents during World War II who also took part in massacres against Poles.<\/p>\n
The dispute soon spiralled into the worst between the neighbours and allies since the start of the Russian invasion in 2022 — culminating in Zelensky skipping the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk.<\/p>\n
Now Kostrzewa, who heads a business union, is appealing to both sides to set the feuding aside and focus on the economy. <\/p>\n
“It’s about building the future and not being busy with the past,” the influential entrepreneur told AFP in Poland’s Baltic resort of Sopot.<\/p>\n
Kostrzewa was one of several Polish executives who signed an appeal to both governments urging them not to “squander” their close ties.<\/p>\n
“The aim was to normalise relations and exclude the economy from this dispute, which should be for historians,” he said.<\/p>\n
He had hoped the Gdansk conference last week — where Zelensky’s absence loomed large but where officials and business executives from both sides struck deals and mingled — would be a first step.<\/p>\n
But that hope began to fade over the weekend. <\/p>\n
Warsaw expects Zelensky to reverse his UPA decision, something Kyiv maintains is unacceptable.<\/p>\n
At the Gdansk gathering, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for “mutual respect” and also “understanding (of) one’s own history”, an apparent reference to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Zelensky said meanwhile on Sunday that “Nobody will ever again dictate to Ukrainians what heroes we honour.”<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
–\u00a0Part of Poland’s ‘ecosystem’ –<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Poland is home to some 1.5 million Ukrainians, both refugees who fled Russia’s invasion and economic migrants who have lived in the European Union country for years. <\/p>\n
But anti-Ukrainian sentiment has risen in Poland in recent months, now also echoed by the nationalist President Karol Nawrocki and hard-right parties who seek to build on historical differences to boost their support.<\/p>\n
“The business community is directly against that,” Kostrzewa said, noting that Poland’s Ukrainian workforce was a “very important part of Poland’s economic ecosystem”.<\/p>\n
Poland is also Ukraine’s main trading partner in Europe, and serves as a logistics hub for exports from Ukraine since its airspace has been closed since the war began.<\/p>\n
Around 30,000 Ukrainian-owned companies operate in Poland, most of whom registered after the war erupted, Kostrzewa said.<\/p>\n
“Part of Ukraine’s economy is already in the EU thanks to Poland,” he said. He also believes that Poland-based Ukrainians could be instrumental\u00a0in helping Kyiv’s bid to join the bloc.<\/p>\n
Despite the current tensions, Poland, which underwent a series of reforms in the 1990s before joining the European Union in 2004, remains a model for Ukraine in private conversations.<\/p>\n
“It shows that a country that was bankrupt at the start of the 1990s could — thanks to reforms and efforts by both the political class and society — become the 20th (largest) economy in the world,”\u00a0Kostrzewa said.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
–\u00a0‘We want to help’ –<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Gdansk conference focused on Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, with Polish firms hoping their proximity will help them avoid being overshadowed by Western rivals if and when a war settlement is reached.<\/p>\n
Some Polish and Ukrainian businessmen in Gdansk told AFP the clash was exclusively political.<\/p>\n
“It’s just for the political class,” said Ukrainian-born Vitalii Hulakov, who was representing a Polish manufacturer at the event.<\/p>\n
But others said it had nonetheless come up in conversations.<\/p>\n
“We’re not politicians. We want to help and develop business,” said Michal Rzepnikowski, whose company exports Polish prosthetics to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
His Endolink firm began transporting humanitarian aid to Ukraine at the start of the war. It then evolved into a business operation, providing medical equipment for hospitals and rehabilitation centres.<\/p>\n
He said clients and providers on both sides of the border usually acknowledge that it was not the time for a historical reckoning while Europe’s worst war since WWII drags on. <\/p>\n
“Both sides have reached the conclusion that this is not a priority during the war,”\u00a0Rzepnikowski said.<\/p>\n
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