Poll: 56% of Poles say Zelensky bears greater responsibility for Polish-Ukrainian crisis
A new poll reveals that 56% of Polish respondents hold Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky primarily responsible for the recent diplomatic crisis between Warsaw and Kyiv, triggered by his decision to name a military unit after the controversial Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
The poll results
A United Surveys by IBRiS poll for Wirtualna Polska asked Poles who bears greater responsibility for the current crisis in Polish-Ukrainian relations around the Order of the White Eagle. The survey, conducted June 26–28, 2026, found that 56% of respondents blame Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Another 20% see equal fault on both sides, while 19.7% point to Polish President Karol Nawrocki. Only 4.3% had no opinion.
- Zelensky
- 56 %
- Both equally
- 20 %
- Nawrocki
- 19.7 %
- Don't know
- 4.3 %
Political divide
The results split sharply along party lines. Among voters of the ruling coalition (Civic Coalition, Left, Polish People's Party, Poland 2050), 44% blame Nawrocki, 38% see shared responsibility, and just 18% blame Zelensky. In contrast, 88% of opposition voters (Law and Justice, Confederation, Grzegorz Braun's Confederation of the Polish Crown, Together) hold Zelensky responsible; only 3% blame Nawrocki. Among Confederation and Braun's party voters specifically, 92% blame Zelensky, 8% see equal fault, and none blame Nawrocki. Undecided or non-voting respondents mirror the national average: 56% blame Zelensky, 21% both, 14% Nawrocki, and 9% are unsure.
Background of the crisis
The diplomatic row began in late May 2026 when Zelensky issued a decree naming the Special Operations Center "North" after the "Heroes of UPA" (Ukrainian Insurgent Army). The UPA is widely condemned in Poland for the mass killing of Polish civilians in Volhynia during World War II. Exhumations of victims began in 2025 in the village of Puźniki. In response, President Nawrocki revoked Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle on June 19. The next day, Zelensky returned the decoration to Warsaw by courier. Tensions deepened when Zelensky skipped a Gdańsk conference on Ukraine's reconstruction, and Ukrainian plans for a National Pantheon raised Polish concerns about honoring UPA figures.
- Zelensky names Ukrainian special forces unit after 'Heroes of UPA'.
- President Nawrocki revokes Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle.
- Zelensky returns the order to Warsaw by courier.
- United Surveys poll finds 56% of Poles blame Zelensky.
Methodology
The United Surveys by IBRiS poll was conducted June 26–28, 2026, on a nationwide sample of 1,000 adults using a mixed-mode design (CAWI/CATI). The margin of error is 3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.
Earlier survey
A separate SW Research poll for Wprost, conducted earlier, showed 46.6% blaming Zelensky, 16.4% blaming Nawrocki, 22.7% seeing equal responsibility, and 14.2% undecided, indicating a hardening of opinion in the more recent United Surveys poll.
