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PM Tusk: Kyiv's decision on exhumations key to Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation

27.11.2024 10:25
The Polish prime minister has commented via social media on the breakthrough regarding the exhumation of Volhynian Massacre victims.
Warsaw, November 27, 2024. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk departs for a visit to Sweden, where he will participate in a meeting of Baltic and Nordic government leaders.
Warsaw, November 27, 2024. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk departs for a visit to Sweden, where he will participate in a meeting of Baltic and Nordic government leaders.PAP/Krystian Maj/KPRM

A joint statement from the foreign ministers of Poland, Radosław Sikorski, and Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha, during his first official visit to Warsaw, sparked considerable attention.

The most significant news was that Ukraine will no longer prevent the exhumation of civilian victims murdered during a series of violent attacks between 1943 and 1945 in the Volhynia region, now part of western Ukraine.

"Ukraine will no longer block the exhumation of victims of the Volhynian massacre. Our ministers are now working on the details, and I hope there will be no further obstacles this time," wrote the Polish Prime Minister on X.

"It is the key to the full reconciliation of our nations, which is so needed at this dramatic moment in our shared history," emphasized Donald Tusk.

The disagreement between Poland and Ukraine over the Volhynian Massacre centers on contrasting perspectives regarding the killings of Poles by the UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) during WWII, between 1943 and 1945.

Poland classifies it as genocide, while Ukraine views it as part of a broader struggle for independence. The tension has been further heightened by Ukraine's refusal to allow the exhumation and proper burial of Polish victims, which is a key issue for Poland.

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Source: X/@donaldtusk

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