Dmytro Kuleba’s remarks on the Volhynia Massacre have triggered strong backlash in Poland, with many condemning his statements as brazen
During a visit to Poland, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba participated in the Campus Poland of the Future event in Olsztyn, hosted by Warsaw’s liberal mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski. When asked by an audience member about when Poland would finally be allowed to exhume the victims of the Volhynia Massacre, Kuleba deflected the question by referring to the “Wisła” operation of 1947, where around 140,000 Ukrainians and Lemkos were deported from southeastern Poland amidst conflicts with Ukrainian nationalists.
Kuleba stated that the questioner should be aware of what the “Wisła” operation entailed and that those Ukrainians were forcibly expelled from Ukrainian territories to settle in places like Olsztyn.
Kuleba responded, “Do you realize what Operation ‘Wisła’ was? Those Ukrainians were forcibly expelled from their territories to live in places like Olsztyn,” before continuing: “But I’m not talking about that. If we start digging into history, the conversation would be very different, and we could go very deep into the wrongs done by Poles to Ukrainians and vice versa.”
These remarks have been met with strong disapproval in Poland. Cezary Kaźmierczak, president of the Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, described Kuleba’s performance as “very insolent” and criticized the lack of reciprocity in the relationship. (more...)
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