Volodymyr Zelensky has returned the Polish honour awarded to him, after Warsaw stripped a Ukrainian cultural figure of a similar distinction. This act of diplomatic pique, however trivial in isolation, speaks volumes about the fraying ties between two nations that should be united against a common existential threat. The Polish government’s decision to revoke the award from a Ukrainian nationalist historian, who had the temerity to remind them of past atrocities committed against Ukrainians, is a blunder of staggering historical amnesia.
And Zelensky’s response, while understandable, is a dangerous indulgence. He is playing into the hands of those who wish to see Ukraine isolated, just as the winter of war sets in. The United Kingdom, in its usual style, has reaffirmed its ‘unwavering support’ for Kyiv.
But what does that mean? More platitudes? More weapons that arrive too late?
The West must realise that this war is not a morality play; it is a brutal struggle for survival. The historical parallels are clear: appeasement, division, and the petty squabbles of allies have paved the way for tyrants before. If Poland and Ukraine, two nations that have bled for each other’s freedom, cannot maintain solidarity, then the West’s grand alliance will crumble into the dust of forgotten empires.
The message from Kyiv is loud and clear: treat us as equals, not as pawns in your historical grievances. Or we will go it alone. And that would be a catastrophe for all of Europe.
