{"id":122260,"date":"2026-07-04T10:19:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T10:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/122260\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T10:19:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T10:19:59","slug":"polish-businesses-press-warsaw-kyiv-to-end-political-rift-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/122260\/","title":{"rendered":"Polish businesses press Warsaw, Kyiv to end political rift"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> Poland and Ukraine are embroiled in a bitter historical dispute (Wojtek RADWANSKI) <\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 <\/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.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Now Kostrzewa, who heads a business union, is appealing to both sides to set the feuding aside and focus on the economy. \u00a0 <\/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.\u00a0 <\/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.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

But that hope began to fade over the weekend. \u00a0 <\/p>\n

Warsaw expects Zelensky to reverse his UPA decision, something Kyiv maintains is unacceptable.\u00a0 <\/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.”\u00a0 <\/p>\n

–\u00a0Part of Poland’s ‘ecosystem’ – <\/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. \u00a0 <\/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.\u00a0 <\/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”.\u00a0 <\/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.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Around 30,000 Ukrainian-owned companies operate in Poland, most of whom registered after the war erupted, Kostrzewa said.\u00a0 <\/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.\u00a0 <\/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‘We want to help’ – <\/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.\u00a0 <\/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.\u00a0 <\/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. \u00a0 <\/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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