For many years, I’ve been trying to convey a simple message in my writings… building policy towards our neighbors must be based on a thorough and objective understanding of the internal situation on the other side of the border. Otherwise, we’ll only face catastrophic mistakes, disappointment, frustration, and surprise at every move the other side makes, a move we don’t understand, and its origins.
The following text is the author’s journalistic commentary.
• Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Volhynia – a problem that could not be postponed
The Volhynia issue has been a thorn in Polish-Ukrainian relations from the very beginning, and without its resolution, there could be no transition to deeper cooperation. And it’s a real problem, not an imagined one or one created by politicians. It’s clear that this is an issue important to the majority of society. That’s why, for a long time… in fact, for several years now, I’ve believed that the Polish side made a mistake in postponing the Volhynia issue, “because it’s not appropriate during a war.” I suspect this is a controversial statement for many, but I’ll explain why.
To a large extent, this approach has led us to the situation we find ourselves in today. Because over the years, a rift has gradually widened on both sides of the border regarding the expectations of both sides regarding the Volhynia issue. What do I mean? When, in 2022, the Polish side, on a wave of widespread enthusiasm, decided to postpone the issue to “after the war,” “because this new dimension of relations will open the way for us to resolve the matter based on truth,” the Ukrainian side, observing this approach by the Poles, drew entirely different conclusions.
In Ukraine, it was recognized that Poland had abandoned the topic in the new geopolitical circumstances “because there are more important matters than historical disputes,” and that now the topic can be left as it is, essentially considered obsolete. Instead, we are building a future and new relationships together. At the same time, everyone remains true to their heroes and pursues their own path in these matters. I have observed this in many discussions on this topic.
Poland and Ukraine drew different conclusions
Was this what the Polish side had in mind? Of course, I don’t mean that in exchange for the transfer of tanks, when the fate of Ukrainian independence was at stake, they should have demanded something. I believe such transactionalism is childish. But already in 2023, it became clear that this statehood would likely remain one way or another. From then on, taking advantage of the moment of good contacts and Poland’s favorable position in the East, they needed to communicate this matter—and not with signals or suggestions. They should have clearly presented the Ukrainians with the whole picture, including an analysis of its importance to society and why this topic could not be skipped in any scenario. And I am absolutely certain that this was not done.
Why?
Because I saw how every time this topic arose in relations during another scandal, the Ukrainian side lived in a world of complete illusions, and no one shattered them. They interpreted this escalation as a case that right-wing Polish parties, facing economic problems, were playing the Volhynia card for the elections… and that they simply needed to wait out the election period. To this day, this remains a standard myth on the other side of the border. This myth needs to be shattered.
The Ukrainian side then decided that since the right wing had veered towards “anti-Ukrainian” positions in the power game within Poland, then let’s simply bet on those political forces that are “not anti-Ukrainian” – and these illusions continued to accumulate. Until this situation with the name of the Ukrainian entity, when the Ukrainian side, due to these illusions, is now suddenly surprised to find that the entire Polish political scene and the majority of Polish society have reacted strongly negatively to Zelensky’s decision.
This surprise is real on the Ukrainian side and it results from all the accumulations of illusions that I wrote about above.
Time for an honest conversation
So what should be done, and what should be done now? Articulate your position clearly, because you need to provoke discussion on the Ukrainian side. No one outside Ukrainian society will do this. They should discuss what they want to do about it themselves. And this also provokes Western media to join this discussion.
The only thing is that the Polish side’s ability to get its message across to Ukrainians is now much weaker than it was at the beginning of the war. This should have been done then, not guided by sympathy, empathy, or decency… but by a cool-headed analysis of the situation’s deteriorating direction, and by cold political calculation. Yes, there would be conflict, there would be shock and surprise, but there is no other way. This discussion should have been provoked under conditions that were better for Poland than they are now, dispelling any illusions among Ukrainians that the topic could be broached.
And I have no idea why there was no one who could have simply said to the Polish authorities the things I am writing about based on the observation of a completely open discussion about Volhynia on the Ukrainian side.
A lesson for the future
Would relations have cooled sooner? They probably would have… but the Ukrainian side wouldn’t have treated the matter as completely secondary, as it has for years. No one was as interested in the topic as if it didn’t exist.
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