Sybiha's comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky granted an elite military unit the honorary title "Heroes of the UPA," referring to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, a nationalist force whose activities during World War II remain a source of deep disagreement between Poland and Ukraine.
"Escalating tensions between Ukraine and Poland benefits neither Ukrainians nor Poles," Sybiha wrote on social media.
He said the two countries had made significant progress over the past two years in addressing contentious historical issues, including resuming the search for and exhumation of wartime victims, carrying out reburials, and reviving a joint congress of Polish and Ukrainian historians.
"This is absolutely the right approach, rooted in mutual respect, acknowledgment and honesty," Sybiha said. “We must not undermine it or spin the flywheel of hatred."
He added that such disputes should not distract from the broader security challenges facing both countries.
"This is especially true now, as the threat from our historic enemy, Russia, once again looms over all of us—Ukrainians, Poles and other Europeans alike," he said.
"We cannot forget that fighting each other will lead us to the edge of the abyss," he cautioned. "We must realize this, lower the emotional temperature, leave our shared history to the expertise of historians, and focus together on what matters most: countering the common enemy, strengthening our European security, and defending the free future of our nations.
He added that Poland and Ukraine must "lower the emotional temperature," leave their shared history "to the expertise of historians, and focus together on what matters most: countering the common enemy, strengthening our European security, and defending the free future of our nations."
Sybiha defended the military unit's new title, saying it was chosen by Ukrainian soldiers and was not intended as an anti-Polish gesture.
"I know for certain that our military had absolutely no anti-Polish intent," he said. "For them, it was about honouring those who, many years ago, fought against imperial Moscow, Bolshevik-communist occupation and repression."
The foreign minister said Ukrainian troops defending the country against Russia deserved "unconditional respect" for their sacrifices on the battlefield.
"Today, it is they who, at the cost of their health and often their lives, are holding the frontline and defending all of Europe against the Russian threat. And they are paying the ultimate price for it," Sybiha wrote.
He also expressed gratitude for Poland's support since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and called for continued cooperation.
'I call for dialogue'
"We are committed to discussing all issues, including the most difficult ones, in a spirit of mutual understanding and openness," Sybiha said. "I call for dialogue and the strengthening of our relations in line with our security priorities and the prosperous future of our nations."
The controversy erupted after Zelensky last week bestowed the "Heroes of the UPA" title on the Separate Special Operations Forces Center North, one of Ukraine's elite military formations.
The move drew criticism in Poland, where the UPA is widely associated with the massacres of Poles in the Volhynia and Eastern Galicia regions during World War II.
The Polish foreign ministry said last week it viewed the move "unequivocally negatively."
Polish President Karol Nawrocki said last Friday that he would seek to strip Zelensky of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest state honour, which was awarded to him in 2023 by then-President Andrzej Duda.
For Poland, UPA actions in the Volhynia region in 1943, when tens of thousands of ethnic Poles were killed across scores of villages, constitute genocide.
Ukraine has historically viewed the UPA primarily as an anti-Soviet resistance movement, and regards the wartime conflict as one for which both sides bear responsibility.
The differing assessments of the UPA and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) have remained among the most sensitive issues in Polish-Ukrainian relations despite close cooperation in response to Russia's invasion.
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Source: IAR, PAP