Poland not satisfied with the Ukrainian assurances in the absence of anti-Polish sentiment
Warsaw is pleased with the lack of anti-Polish sentiment in Ukraine, but the country still expects "specific proposals on historical issues” from Kyiv, as stated by the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Witold Waszczykowski.
"The statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine that there is no anti-Polish sentiment in Ukrainian society is very encouraging. However, in historical issues, we expect concrete steps,” Polish Radio quotes him as saying. At the same time, the diplomat noted that "certain incidents and the behaviour of some persons" demonstrates an unfriendly attitude towards Poland.
The day prior, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs made assurances that there is no anti-Polish sentiment in the country. Consequently, Kyiv responded to Waszczykowski's words with the comment that "people in uniforms with symbols of the SS division ‘Galicia’ will not enter the territory of Poland."
Polish senator and historian Jan Zharin had previously stated that the Ukrainian authorities "behave in a barbarous way" in matters of historical memory. In his opinion, the crisis between Ukraine and Poland is connected to "serious and profound cultural differences" between the two countries. The solution to this problem, the historian believes, will need to be found by the Ukrainian side.