Zelenskyy's chief of staff renounces Polish medal amid WW2 dispute

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff said on Saturday he was renouncing a ​Polish state medal after President Karol ‌Nawrocki stripped Zelenskyy of Poland's top honour over a historical dispute.

The move by Kyrylo Budanov threatens to deepen a ​diplomatic rift between the close strategic ​partners as Kyiv rallies allies to push ⁠Russia to end its war on Ukraine.

Nawrocki ​said on Friday he was revoking the Order ​of the White Eagle from Zelenskyy after he renamed a military unit in honour of World War Two-era ​Ukrainian insurgents blamed for massacring Poles.

Budanov said ​he was renouncing the Golden Officer's Cross of the Order ‌of ⁠Merit of the Republic of Poland, awarded to him last year, to protest against a move he described as "a gift" for Russia.

"Our nations ​have long-standing ​relations and ⁠different pages of history - both heroic and tragic," he posted on ​social media. "However, this should be an ​occasion ⁠for deep reflection, not crude political speculation."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had earlier called Nawrocki's decision ⁠a "strategic ​error", and Polish Prime Minister ​Donald Tusk, a Nawrocki opponent, urged both leaders to remain ​calm.

-Reuters