Ukraine will not hinder Poles in their search and exhumation of the victims of the Volhynia tragedy. In turn, Poland will support Ukraine's aspirations for EU membership. This was stated by Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski at a press conference following his meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sibiga.
"Ukraine confirms that there are no obstacles to conducting search and exhumation work on its territory and expresses its readiness to positively consider requests in these matters. Of course, we will also mobilize Polish institutions, such as the Institute of National Remembrance, to be responsive to Ukrainian needs," Sikorski was quoted by Polsat News.
For his part, Andriy Sibiga added that a joint Ukrainian-Polish working group should work on "practical mechanisms for conducting search and exhumation activities."
The press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also published a joint statement from the two ministers, stating that Kyiv and Warsaw are "determined to resolve contentious issues of our common past in the name of universal values and in a Christian spirit." This includes the issue of exhuming victims of the Volhynia tragedy.
Moreover, the head of Polish diplomacy assured that Warsaw would support Kyiv's efforts on its path to the EU.
"We are using the period of Poland's presidency in the EU Council to expedite this process as much as possible. Ukraine's membership in the EU is a strategic interest for our country," Sikorski noted.
The Issue of Exhuming Victims of the Volhynia Tragedy
The dispute between Kyiv and Warsaw regarding the search and exhumation of Polish victims of the Volhynia tragedy has been ongoing since 2017, when Ukraine imposed a moratorium on such activities. This was preceded by the demolition of a monument to UPA soldiers in the Polish village of Hruszowice.
Since then, Kyiv has repeatedly urged Warsaw to restore this and other Ukrainian monuments in Poland that were destroyed by Polish nationalists in recent years. Ukraine has emphasized that the resumption of work to search for the remains of fallen compatriots depends on decisions from Warsaw, particularly changes to Polish law regarding the Institute of National Remembrance, which prohibits the "ideology of Ukrainian nationalists."
Ultimately, in recent times, Polish officials have begun threatening Ukraine with blocking its aspirations to join the European Union due to this dispute.