MEPs Call for Zelensky to be stripped of EU Award Over WWII Claims
The lawmakers argue that the award should be reconsidered over concerns related to historical narratives involving Ukrainian nationalist groups during World War II, according to reports.
Zelensky was among the first recipients of the award after it was introduced by the European Parliament last year. He received the honor in mid-May for what was described as his contribution to European integration and shared European values.
However, shortly after receiving the award, he signed a decree granting recognition to a Ukrainian military unit under a title linked to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), a wartime formation associated by historians with the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).
The UPA has been linked in historical accounts to violent events during the 1940s, including mass killings of civilians in areas of present-day western Ukraine, particularly during the Volhynia massacres, according to historical research cited in reports.
Critics among European lawmakers argue that commemorating such groups is incompatible with European values. One Polish MEP, Anna Brylka, stated on social media that “European values cannot be reconciled with the glorification of genocide and ethnic cleansing,” and added that Zelensky “does not deserve” the award.
Nearly 40 MEPs reportedly signed an appeal warning that elevating historical nationalist figures could harm relations between European countries and influence how younger generations in Ukraine are taught about the past, according to the same reports.
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