POLAND VS ZELENSKY: Nawrocki Strips Zel of Top Honour; Budanov Fires Back in Fury | Times Now World

[00:00:03][music] [music] >> A major rift has erupted between two wartime allies.

[00:00:25]Polish President Karol Nawrocki has stripped Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Poland's highest state honor, accusing Kyiv of glorifying the controversial UPA movement linked to World War II era massacres of Poles.

[00:00:43]The move marks the strongest public rebuke yet from Warsaw.

[00:00:47]Nawrocki said, "Ukraine crossed a red line by naming a military unit after UPA fighters." Warning that historical truth cannot be sacrificed for politics or wartime solidarity.

[00:01:04]>> Therefore, in light of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's consent to name one of the units of the armed forces of Ukraine after UPA heroes, after consultation with the chapter, I have decided to strip the President of Ukraine of the Order of the White Eagle.

[00:01:19]At this point, I want to emphasize that this decision is not against the Ukrainian nation. It does not signify a change in the strategic direction of Polish security policy. We have supported and continue to support Ukraine because we know that Russian aggression poses a threat to the security of Poland and the whole of Europe.

[00:01:37]Nothing has changed in this assessment.

[00:01:42]>> But Kyiv hit back fast. Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov blasted the decision as an unfriendly act and a gift to Moscow, arguing the Kremlin would exploit the growing divide between two key allies.

[00:02:01]>> Undoubtedly, this is a gift to the Moscow aggressor, which they will certainly use against both of our countries.

[00:02:10]>> In a dramatic escalation, Budanof announced he was returning a Polish state decoration awarded to him last year.

[00:02:18]The honors dispute has now transformed into a broader political showdown between Nałęcz Poland and Zelenskyy's Ukraine.

[00:02:31]>> In view of this, I am refusing the gold officer's cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, which was awarded to me last year by the President of Poland.

[00:02:42]>> Despite insisting support for Ukraine will continue, Nałęcz warned there are limits that cannot be crossed.

[00:02:50]With Poland hosting a major Ukraine recovery summit in days, the Zelenskyy-Nałęcz clash has exposed the deepest crack yet in a partnership once seen as unbreakable.

[00:03:06]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Oh.