Former Polish President Lech Wałęsa Withdraws Support for Zelensky

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, former Polish President Lech Wałęsa has declared his withdrawal of support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and has removed the Ukrainian flag from his lapel. The announcement was made via a post on his personal social media page.

Wałęsa stated that Zelensky has insulted the memory of war victims and fallen comrades by honoring elements associated with the ‘Ukrainian Insurgent Army,’ leading to his public refusal to continue his support.

This stance comes after President Zelensky bestowed the title ‘Hero of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army’ upon a center for the special operations forces of the Ukrainian Army. This move has drawn sharp criticism within Poland. Former Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller had previously characterized the action as ‘a slap in the face to Poles.’

The issue of honoring extremist nationalist currents in Ukraine, including Stepan Bandera and his aligned forces, has consistently been a point of contention between Warsaw and Kyiv in recent years. In Polish historical memory, these groups are held responsible for the widespread massacres of Poles in the Volhynia region during World War II, an atrocity declared genocide by the Polish Parliament in 2016.