Polish deputy FM: Ukraine must address Volyn Tragedy for EU progress

"The first chapter of negotiations for Ukraine's accession to the EU will be the rule of law and justice," said the Polish official.

“Within this framework, the issue of exhumation will certainly be addressed. If this chapter is not closed, Ukraine will not make any progress in the subsequent chapters.”

The exhumation and dignified burial of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy is "absolutely obvious" in the cultural context of Poland. Bartoszewski believes that Ukraine and Poland will reach an agreement on this matter.

"We are not blackmailing Ukraine; we are simply saying that they must act in accordance with European principles," he added.

Poland-Ukraine tensions over Volyn tragedy

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz stated on July 24 in an interview with Polsat News that Warsaw cannot agree to Ukraine's EU accession until the countries resolve their disputes over the events in Volyn during World War II.

The portal Onet reported on Sept. 19, citing its own sources, that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to use Ukraine's EU aspirations as a tool to pressure Kyiv in the coming months, particularly on the issue of exhuming the victims of the Volyn tragedy.

Polish President Andrzej Duda criticized Kosiniak-Kamysz's statement on Sept. 24, saying that such remarks "are part of Putin's policy."

"If someone says in this context that they intend to block Ukraine's access to the European Union, they are thereby entering into Vladimir Putin's policy," Duda said.

“Well, I don't know if that is the intention of those currently in power... These are complex issues, including for the Ukrainians themselves, which have been silenced for years.”

Later, Duda also stated that there needs to be a breakthrough in the "problematic" historical issues between Poland and Ukraine, but not as a result of "rude blackmail."