Polish President Karol Nawrocki said Friday he had revoked President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state distinction, citing Ukraine’s decision to grant a military unit the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA.” In a statement posted on X, Nawrocki said the Order of the White Eagle symbolizes Poland’s highest trust and gratitude and therefore requires recipients to respect values fundamental to the Polish state and society.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Such a symbol requires not only merit, but also respect for the values that form the foundation of our community,” Nawrocki said. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) was a nationalist partisan force that fought during and after World War II for an independent Ukrainian state. While many Ukrainians view the group as part of the country’s struggle for independence, Poland considers the UPA responsible for mass killings of Polish civilians in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia during the war. He said that after consulting the chapter of the order, he decided to strip Zelensky of the award because of his approval of the designation. Nawrocki added that the decision was not directed against the Ukrainian people and did not signal a change in Poland’s security policy toward Ukraine. “We supported and continue to support Ukraine because we know that Russian aggression poses a threat to the security of Poland and all of Europe,” he said.