In response to these words, first spoken by Nawrocki on Polsat News on Wednesday and then repeated the following day, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted.
„We have taken note of the comments made by Mr. Karol Nawrocki, the President of the Institute of National Remembrance of the Republic of Poland, in which the issue of Ukraine's membership in the EU and NATO is being conditioned on resolving the matters of common history” - the official statement reads.
„We reject these biased and manipulative claims. Such statements indicate that the Polish politician prioritizes short-term political considerations over the strategic security interests of his own country, the good-neighbourly relations between Ukraine and Poland” - the declaration adds.
„We would like to remind that the Ukrainian and Polish sides are conducting a constructive dialogue at the level of authorized state institutions on the issues of historical past. This work is aimed at honouring the memory of Ukrainians in Poland and Poles in Ukraine in a dignified manner. We once again urge Polish politicians not to use the issue of difficult chapters of historical past in their domestic political battles” - the Ukrainian side stated.
Nawrocki's statement serves Russia's interests," says Ukrainian MFA
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the statements made by the candidate for president from the right-wing Law and Justice party are in the interests of Russia.
„The fact that Mr. Nawrocki's statements were met with applause in the Kremlin is telling. It is worth reminding that Russia has for centuries sought to destroy both the Ukrainian and Polish states. Moscow continues to invest vast resources in its efforts to undermine Ukrainian-Polish friendship and mutual understanding. It is unacceptable to make statements that support these efforts of the enemy,” emphasized in the official statement regarding Nawrocki's controversial words.
A fragment from the official statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine regarding the remarks made by Karol Nawrocki, the PiS candidate for the President of Poland. Photo: Ukraine MFA.
Exhumations of Volhynian massacre victims possible in spring 2025, says Polish MFA spokesperson
At the end of November last year, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that there were no obstacles to conducting search and exhumation work for Polish victims on its territory.
Paweł Wroński, spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that exhumations in Volhynia could begin in the spring of 2025.
Paweł Wroński, spokesperson for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: PAP/Piotr Nowak
Nawrocki responds to Ukrainian allegations
Karol Nawrocki, responding to criticism from the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that his sole commitment is to the interests of Poland:
"My only commitment is to the Polish people. What the propaganda in Moscow or Kyiv thinks about it is not my concern." He also stressed that "a country that avoids addressing its past," including the Volhynian massacre that claimed 120,000 Polish victims, "cannot be part of international alliances."
Karol Nawrocki (second from the right), the president of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), supported by the Law and Justice party (PiS), speaks at a press conference at a military base in Bemowo Piskie, located in northeastern Poland, on January 9, 2025. Photo: PAP/Tomasz Waszczuk
Growing controversy surrounding Karol Nawrocki
This is not the first time Karol Nawrocki has sparked controversy. In the past, there were reports about his alleged connections to gangsters, the criminal underworld, and Nazis.
Professor Antoni Dudek, a political scientist and historian who served on the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) council for six years, also criticized Nawrocki, the current head of the IPN, accusing him of using harsh management tactics and turning the institution into a tool for personal promotion.
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Source: IAR/PAP/MFA Ukraine/MSZ
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