Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls the Lviv council's decision counterproductive to efforts to improve relations with Poland
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of UkraineUkrainian government ministry, in a response to journalists
Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the Lviv Oblast Council's decision works against its efforts to develop relations with Poland and resolve outstanding issues during Russia's full-scale war.
“counterproductive to our ongoing efforts aimed at further developing Ukrainian-Polish relations and resolving outstanding issues amid Russia's full-scale aggression and unprecedented security threats to our two countries and the region as a whole”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Lviv Oblast Council declares 2027 a year of the UPA and Shukhevych; Poland calls it unacceptable and Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls it counterproductive
On October 20, 2026, the Lviv Oblast Council in western Ukraine adopted resolutions declaring 2027 in the region a year of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), of its commander Roman Shukhevych and of Oleh Olzhych, a leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. Polish officials hold the UPA responsible for the Volhynia massacres of Poles during World War II. Poland's defense minister called the decision unacceptable, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski moved to bar Sviatoslav Sheremeta, the councillor who proposed it, and Poland's interior minister then banned him from the Schengen Area until 2031. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the decision counterproductive and said the councillors had not consulted it. Sheremeta said the decision was not directed against Poland and that Ukrainians decide who their heroes are.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
LIGA.net report on the response Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave journalists about the Lviv Oblast Council's decision to declare 2027 the year of the UPA and Shukhevych. The ministry called the decision counterproductive to efforts to develop Ukrainian-Polish relations, said the councillors did not consult it or other central bodies, and asked Poland to refrain from drastic steps.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
LIGA.net reports that the ministry said it was working to develop friendly bilateral relations with Poland and that significant progress had been made in recent years, including on search and exhumation work and a dialogue on history.
After the quotation
The ministry says the decision was adopted by a local self-government body whose members did not seek advice from the foreign ministry or other central government bodies, and it calls on Poland to refrain from drastic steps that could undermine the normalization of relations.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns the Lviv Oblast Council's October 20, 2026, decision to declare 2027 in the region a year of the UPA, of Roman Shukhevych and of Oleh Olzhych. The ministry calls the decision counterproductive to its efforts on relations with Poland and says it touches on sensitive historical issues, which criticizes the decision, while it stresses that the council acted on its own and asks Poland to avoid drastic steps.
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- People and groups discussed
- Lviv Oblast Council
More from this case
Read the full caseSheremeta says the Lviv council's decision was not aimed at Poland but at honoring fighters for Ukraine's independence
“The Lviv Oblast Council's decision was not directed against anyone, and certainly not against Poles or Poland, as Polish politicians interpret it. It is aimed at honoring with dignity the memory of the fighters for the freedom and independence of Ukraine. (Translated from Ukrainian. Original: Рішення Львівської облради не було спрямоване проти когось і тим більше проти поляків чи Польщі, як це трактують польські політики. Воно спрямоване на те, щоб гідно вшанувати пам'ять борців за волю і незалежність України.)”Read statement
Sikorski says he signed a motion to put Sheremeta on Poland's list of undesirable persons over the year of Shukhevych
“I have signed a motion to enter Lviv Oblast councillor S. Sheremeta, a Galizien Waffen-SS reenactor and the author of the idea of making 2027 the year of R. Shukhevych, the UPA commander who issued orders to expel and murder Poles, on the list of persons undesirable in the Republic of Poland. (Translated from Polish. Original: Podpisałem wniosek o wpisanie na listę osób niepożądanych w RP radnego obwodu lwowskiego S. Szeremeta, rekonstruktora Galizien Waffen-SS, autora pomysłu ustanowienia 2027 rokiem R.Szuchewycza, dowódcy UPA, który wydawał rozkazy wysiedlania i mordowania Polaków.)”Read statement
Poland's Institute of National Remembrance says honoring Shukhevych is a blow to the memory of genocide victims
Institute of National Remembrance
“Honouring this criminal must be regarded as a blow to the memory of the victims of the genocide carried out on his orders.”Read statement
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- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls the Lviv council's decision counterproductive to efforts to improve relations with Poland
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The Dispute Index. "Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls the Lviv council's decision counterproductive to efforts to improve relations with Poland". First published: 2026-10-31. Last updated: 2026-10-31. https://disputeindex.com/events/7455-ukraine-s-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-says-the