Pand expects further steps from Ukraine on complex historical issues

This was announced on Thursday by the head of the Pish Foreign Ministry, Radoslaw Sikorski, and the Marshal of the Senate, Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska, responding to a statement by the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, which, in response to the appeal of Pish citizens, plans to search for the bodies of the victims of the Vyn tragedy in 2025.

"I he that this Christian duty will simply be fulfilled," Sikorski said on the air of Radio Pand.

He emphasized that there is a national agreement in Pand regarding the exhumation of the victims of the Vyn massacre, and President Andrzej Duda, Marshal of the Sejm Szymon Gownia and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz speak with one voice in this matter.

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He recalled that a few weeks ago, during a visit to Kyiv, he discussed this issue with the President of Ukraine, Vodymyr Zelensky.

"When we spoke in Kyiv three weeks ago, I said I had received an assurance that the issue would be resved. I he it will be resved, because we do not want it to annoy Ukraine, but to ensure Pish-Ukrainian reconciliation, friendship, and unity without this sensitive issue," said Sikorski.

When asked if there was a dispute on the issue in Kyiv, he replied that he addressed the matter resutely.

"We will recognize them by their fruits," Sikorski emphasized.

Answering the question whether he agrees with the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who said that without resving the exhumation issue, Pand will not agree to Ukraine's accession to the EU, he noted that he is convincing the Ukrainian side of the need to resve the issue "before we approach a tougher choice."

"And the Ukrainian side makes it clear that maybe it can be settled," Sikorski stated.

Read also: Pand to raise Vyn tragedy in Ukraine's EU membership talks

The Marshal of the Senate of Pand, Kidawa-Blonska, responding to the statement from the Ukrainian Institute of National Rememberance, emphasized that this is a "good signal", but Warsaw is "waiting for further prosals".

"This is a good step, but it is still not enough," said the Marshal of the Upper Chamber of the Pish Parliament.

As the UINR reported, this year it started receiving eppeals from Pish citizens regarding the possibility of searching for and exhuming the remains of their fallen relatives. In particular, a request was received regarding such works in the territory of Rivne region. Flowing consideration of the appeal filed in September 2024, the UINR intends to include search works in Rivne region in its action plan for 2025.

The issue of the Vyn tragedy is among the most controversial ones in Ukrainian-Pish relations. Pand insists that the Ukrainian side bears the se responsibility for the vient crimes committed in Vyn in 1943-1945. Instead, Ukraine emphasizes that both parties are responsible, so the apogy should be mutual.

Russian praganda has been actively exploiting the tic of the Vyn tragedy to pit the two nations against each other.

Photo: PAP