Diplomatic — 2026-07-03

Ukraine FM Sybiha Meets Polish FM in Warsaw Amid Historical Memory Rift

BLUFKyiv's Bezruchko gesture buys diplomatic goodwill with Warsaw but sidesteps Poland's core objection, leaving the dispute's trajectory dependent on a council and candidate slate that do not yet exist.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha met Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Warsaw on Friday against the backdrop of a dispute over historical memory issues, including the Ukrainian parliament's passage of a National Pantheon law on July 1 by a vote of 287 to 450 deputies 12. Polish outlet WP reported that Sybiha planned to propose adding Marko Bezruchko, a general of the Ukrainian People's Republic army who fought alongside Polish forces to capture Kyiv in 1920 and later defended Zamość against Soviet troops, to the Pantheon 34. The adopted law does not name specific candidates, leaving inclusion decisions to the Verkhovna Rada based on recommendations from a special council with Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance representatives, independent historians and civil society members 3. Zelensky adviser Dmytro Lytvyn confirmed to European Pravda that "Bezruchko is a good idea" but noted any nomination would still require a parliamentary majority vote 4, while Polish diplomatic sources described the Bezruchko gesture as "welcome" without guaranteeing it resolves the broader dispute 34.

Analysis
Sybiha's Bezruchko nomination functions as a symbolic olive branch, not a structural fix: it leaves Poland's core objection, that the Pantheon law opens a pathway for UPA-linked figures such as Roman Shukhevych and Klym Savur, unresolved. Warsaw's response hinges on whether the yet-unformed special council nominates only consensus figures like Bezruchko or later advances names tied to Volhynia-era violence against Poles. Polish officials call the gesture welcome while stopping short of treating it as a concession, signaling they intend to withhold judgment until an actual candidate slate emerges. Whether the council's eventual composition and criteria will exclude the more contested nominees cannot be assessed with confidence, since neither has yet been published.
4 sources
  1. Sybiha to meet Polish FM in Warsaw on July 3 amid fallout of Ukraine-Poland rift - Kyiv Independent
  2. Radosław Sikorski spotka się z Andrijem Sybihą w Warszawie. W tle spór Polski i Ukrainy o UPA i Panteon Narodowy - Rzeczpospolita
  3. Przełom? Szef MSZ Ukrainy oferuje Polsce wspólnego bohatera - Wirtualna Polska
  4. Media: Ukrainian foreign minister to propose shared hero for National Pantheon during Warsaw visit - European Pravda

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