Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko announced on Tuesday that she will lead Ukraine’s delegation to the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk, Poland, instead of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The annual international conference, dedicated to Ukraine’s reconstruction and long-term recovery, will be held in the northern Polish city of Gdansk on June 25–26. Since its inception in 2017, the event has served as a platform for governments, international organizations, businesses, and financial institutions to coordinate assistance for Ukraine’s rebuilding efforts.

Speaking on June 23, Svyrydenko said the Ukrainian delegation would seek concrete outcomes aimed at strengthening the country’s resilience amid the ongoing war with Russia.

“Our team has a clear task — to achieve concrete agreements that will enhance Ukraine’s defense capability and resilience, and expand economic cooperation with our partners,” she stated.

The prime minister added that Ukraine expects to sign several important agreements during the conference, including initiatives designed to bolster the country’s energy sector, which has been repeatedly targeted during the conflict.

According to Svyrydenko, the delegation will include representatives of Ukrainian businesses, executives from state-owned enterprises, local government leaders from communities across the country, senior government officials, and members of parliament.

Her announcement has drawn attention because it confirms that President Volodymyr Zelensky will not head the delegation to the high-profile gathering. Speculation regarding Zelensky’s attendance had intensified in recent days amid growing diplomatic strains between Ukraine and Poland.

The tensions escalated following Zelensky’s decision to name a Ukrainian military unit in honor of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a controversial World War II-era nationalist formation. In Ukraine, the UPA is widely commemorated for its resistance against Soviet domination and its role in the struggle for Ukrainian independence.

In Poland, however, the organization remains strongly associated with the Volyn massacres of 1943–1945, during which tens of thousands of Polish civilians were killed in territories that are now part of western Ukraine. Historians also note that thousands of Ukrainians lost their lives in retaliatory attacks carried out by Polish forces.

The decision sparked criticism across Poland, where memories of the wartime atrocities remain a sensitive and emotionally charged issue.

The dispute deepened further when Polish President Karol Nawrocki reportedly revoked Ukraine’s highest Polish state decoration awarded to Zelensky, the Order of the White Eagle. The honor had originally been bestowed upon the Ukrainian president in 2023 by then-Polish President Andrzej Duda in recognition of Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s invasion and the close cooperation between the two neighboring countries.

According to reports, Zelensky responded by returning the award on June 20 through the Ukrainian postal service Nova Poshta. Despite the diplomatic disagreement, the Ukrainian president emphasized his gratitude to the Polish people for their continued support of Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Meanwhile, Poland’s Presidential Office announced on June 22 that President Nawrocki would not participate in the Ukraine Recovery Conference, stating that he had not received an invitation to attend.

Despite the recent tensions, both Kyiv and Warsaw remain important partners in regional security and support for Ukraine’s defense efforts. Observers will be closely watching the conference in Gdansk to see whether the two countries can prevent historical disputes from overshadowing broader cooperation on Ukraine’s reconstruction and future integration with its European partners. (ILKHA)