Polish premier says refugee tensions test Kyiv relations

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday acknowledged mounting social tensions linked to the presence of more than one million Ukrainian refugees, warning that his government is actively working to prevent strains in public sentiment from undermining relations with Kyiv. Speaking before a cabinet meeting in Warsaw, Tusk said his administration had anticipated such challenges since the war began in 2022.

"Polish-Ukrainian relations are something we are working on," Tusk said. "I am aware of the public mood. We knew from the very beginning that accepting well over one million refugees from Ukraine would create tensions."

Honors dispute clouds ties

The premier's remarks follow President Karol Nawrocki's decision to revoke the Order of the White Eagle from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a move prompted by Kyiv's designation of a military unit named after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, according to Anadolu Agency. Nawrocki cited the unit's historical responsibility for wartime massacres of tens of thousands of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia as justification for withdrawing Poland's highest state honor.

Refugee presence reshapes domestic debate

Tusk criticized Nawrocki's action, warning that escalating disputes between Warsaw and Kyiv could ultimately benefit Russia. The controversy emerges as Poland continues to serve as a key logistics hub for Western military aid to Ukraine, hosting one of Europe's largest refugee populations despite growing domestic concerns over welfare benefits and labor market competition. According to government estimates, more than one million Ukrainians remain in Poland, although numbers fluctuate as refugees move between Poland, Ukraine and other European countries.