Zelensky announces opening of SBU archives on Volhynia, more exhumation permits; Tusk: 'ready for serious dialogue'

Zelensky's announcement

On Friday, 17 July 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky convened a meeting on Ukraine's policy towards Poland and announced a series of steps aimed at easing historical tensions. He declared that all archives of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine concerning "tragic events of the 20th century in Volhynia" would be opened. He also said that a significant number of additional permits for search and exhumation works would be issued, and that Ukraine and Poland must jointly ensure greater possibilities for such activities. Zelensky noted that he had discussed possible formats for expanding dialogue between the two societies and had agreed with the director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Oleksandr Alfiorov, to expand the institute's capabilities. He will ask the government and parliament to consider increasing financial and organizational support for the institute. The Ukrainian leader stressed that the defence of Ukraine's independence directly strengthens Poland's independence, and that Europe's security challenges can only be resolved through cooperation among free nations in the region.

Priorities are obvious: everyone in Europe needs good-neighbourly, equal and mutually beneficial relations, built on mutual respect. Poland clearly supported Ukraine after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion and we are grateful for that.

Polish government welcomes the move

Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded on the X platform that he accepted Zelensky's words and decisions "with satisfaction and hope." He stressed that relations between the two countries must be based on mutual respect and truth.

We are ready for serious and friendly dialogue on matters that unite us and those that divide us today.

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also commented, saying that every declaration bringing Poland and Ukraine closer to solving difficult issues deserves attention. He expressed hope that the announcements would turn into concrete actions, adding that this was the direction Poland had been striving for. Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasised that Poland and Ukraine share a common enemy in Russia, and that discord between the nations serves the Kremlin's interests.

From the beginning we have been betting on dialogue and memory for the victims of the Volhynia Massacre. Today Poland and Ukraine have a common enemy - Russia. There lies the threat to our order. Discord between our nations is in the Kremlin's interest.

Skepticism from the opposition

Not all Polish politicians were equally enthusiastic. Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Piotr Zgorzelski of the Polish People's Party (PSL) said in an interview with TVN24 that he approached the announcement skeptically, though he did not close the door to goodwill from Ukraine. He noted that Zelensky had not yet used the word "sorry," and that Polish families from the eastern borderlands were tired of having their sensitivities set aside for the sake of neighbourly relations.

I approach this skeptically, although I do not close the door to goodwill from Ukraine, because I always remember that Ukraine is fighting and on the other side of power, the bad side, is Russia.

Background of the dispute

The announcement follows months of tension over historical issues. In late May 2026, Zelensky named a Ukrainian military unit after the "Heroes of the UPA," a move that drew sharp criticism in Poland from Prime Minister Tusk, Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz, and the foreign ministry. On 19 June, Polish President Karol Nawrocki decided to revoke Zelensky's Order of the White Eagle, and the next day Zelensky returned the order to Warsaw via courier. The Volhynia massacres of 1943–1945 remain a deeply sensitive subject: according to Polish historians, in July 1943 alone, units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) carried out coordinated attacks on about 150 Polish villages in Volhynia, the culmination of a campaign that killed over 100,000 Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia between February 1943 and spring 1945. The perpetrators were members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (Stepan Bandera faction) and the UPA.