The issue of the Volyn tragedy remains one of the difficult topics in relations between Poland and Ukraine.
In an interview, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that during a conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky, he received from him a sincere admission of ignorance about the Volyn tragedy and crimes against Poles, because, according to Zelensky, “this was not taught in school.”
This was reported by the Polish publication RMF24.
Andrzej Duda, who is completing his second term, spoke about his conversations with Ukrainian presidents on the Volyn tragedy. He noted that he discussed this issue with both Petro Poroshenko and Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I don’t hide the fact that I always had the impression that I found greater understanding in President Zelensky,” Duda said.
According to the Polish president, Zelensky was telling the truth when he said that he “never heard” about the killings of Poles in Volyn.
“They didn't teach us about this at school,” Duda quoted Zelensky as saying.
The politician also noted that he considers the beliefs of some Poles that residents of Western Ukraine know a lot about the complex history and crimes committed in the past to be erroneous, since no one wants to tell their descendants about such things.
“Are you sure that the grandfather bragged to his grandchildren, telling them before they were in their cradle how he killed his neighbor with a pitchfork and smashed her child against the barn?” Duda asked journalists.
With this rhetorical question, the Polish President emphasized that such tragic events may not have been passed down from generation to generation in families, which explains the ignorance of the younger generation.
The Volyn tragedy or Volyn massacre are the events of 1943-1944 in Volyn and Eastern Galicia, associated with the ethnic cleansing of the Polish population, which was carried out by Ukrainian nationalists. This issue still remains sensitive in bilateral relations and requires complex diplomatic dialogue.
Let us recall that Duda signed the law on the “genocide in Volyn”. This law declares July 11 a day of remembrance for the victims of the genocide committed by the OUN and UPA during World War II.
