MEPs condemn Zelensky over UPA unit, complicating Ukraine EU bid

The European Parliament has criticised Volodymyr Zelensky for renaming an elite Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), warning the move undermines Kyiv's path to EU membership. MEPs approved an amendment condemning the decision as an "unprovoked escalation" that is "not in line with European values" by a margin of 460 to 136, with 59 abstentions.

The vote inserts the European Parliament directly into a worsening diplomatic crisis between Warsaw and Kyiv. Because EU accession requires the unanimous approval of all existing member states, Poland's leadership has made clear that Ukraine's integration is effectively conditional on resolving these historical disputes.

The current row erupted in late May when Zelensky named the unit after the "heroes of the UPA". In Poland, the UPA is synonymous with the Volhynia massacres, in which around 100,000 ethnic Polish civilians, mostly women and children, were slaughtered. While Ukraine remembers the UPA for fighting Soviet rule, Poland officially recognises the killings as a genocide. After Polish president Karol Nawrocki stripped him of the country's highest honour, Zelensky cancelled his attendance at last week's Ukraine Recovery Conference in Warsaw. He declared that "no one will dictate which heroes we honour".

The parliamentary condemnation was driven not by the Polish opposition, but by the European People's Party. The EPP includes Poland's ruling Civic Coalition and Polish People's Party. Andrzej Halicki, the Civic Coalition MEP who authored the amendment, said the vote proved the issue is "no longer just a Polish perspective."

"It means that the European Parliament has recognised that there is no place for glorifying the perpetrators of crimes," Halicki told broadcaster RMF. "Everyone who wants to be part of the European community must adhere to the values of the EU."

Hardline opposition parties argued the final text did not go far enough. Proposed amendments from the European Conservatives and Reformists to block the opening of negotiation clusters, and from Patriots for Europe to label the massacres a genocide, were both rejected. Former Polish government minister Michał Dworczyk welcomed the Parliament's recognition of the UPA's "criminal activities" but called the adopted resolution "too mild".

Despite the friction, the broader resolution still welcomed the opening of Ukraine's EU accession talks and praised Kyiv's progress on judicial reform and anti-corruption efforts. Diplomatic efforts to contain the damage are ongoing, with Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha visiting Warsaw last week and Zelensky meeting Nawrocki yesterday on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Turkey.