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50% of Poles oppose Ukraine's EU, NATO membership until Volyn issue resolved, poll shows

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by Tim Zadorozhnyy
50% of Poles oppose Ukraine's EU, NATO membership until Volyn issue resolved, poll shows
Polish and Ukrainian flags in Warsaw. March 26, 2022. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Half of Poles believe Ukraine should not join NATO or the European Union until the issue of exhuming Volyn massacre victims is resolved, according to a new poll published on Jan. 30.

The poll conducted by the Institute for Social Research and Market (IBRiS) found that 27.7% of respondents "strongly" oppose Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU without addressing this issue, while 22.5% "rather" oppose.

The Volyn massacre occurred during World War II. Tens of thousands of Poles were murdered by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (known by its Ukrainian acronym UPA) in the Nazi-occupied region of Volhynia, which was then a part of Poland and is nowadays a region in western Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainians were killed by Polish military formations in retaliation.

Polish opposition supporters, particularly viewers of the Polish right-wing Republic TV, which backs the Law and Justice (PiS) party, are the primary group insisting on the condition of exhuming Volyn massacre victims, polish media outlet Rzeczpospolita noted.

The poll also shows that 20.4% "rather" support Ukraine's accession and 14.4% "strongly" support it. The remaining 15% were undecided.

The survey was conducted on Jan. 24-25 using computer-assisted telephone interviews (CATI) with 1,071 respondents.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Poland has been one of Ukraine’s most prominent allies and supporters. But disagreements in the approach to the historic events have thrown a shadow on relations between the states.

Ukraine and Poland reached a breakthrough regarding the issue in January. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Jan. 10. that the first exhumations of Volyn massacre victims were approved by both sides earlier in the month.

The issue of Volyn exhumations has become a political fault line ahead of Poland's presidential election, scheduled for May. Karol Nawrocki, the PiS-backed presidential candidate, said on Jan. 8 that Ukraine should not join the EU or NATO unless it "answers" for the Polish victims of the massacre.

Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, the ruling coalition's presidential candidate, supports Ukraine's EU and NATO membership.

Volhynian Massacre — the Achilles heel of Ukrainian-Polish relations
Speaking on Polish television in late July, Poland’s Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz reminded Ukrainians that even his country’s overwhelming support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia has its limits. Ukraine could never expect Poland’s backing in joining the EU if it didn’t “resolv…
The Kyiv IndependentDaria Svitlyk
PolandUkraineNATOEuropean UnionVolyn massacresDonald TuskAndrzej Duda
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Tim Zadorozhnyy

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Tim Zadorozhnyy is a reporter at The Kyiv Independent, covering foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations and European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa, working there for two years from the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. After relocating to Warsaw, he spent a year and a half at the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, initially as a news anchor and later as managing editor.

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