Poll shows Poland divided after Zelenskyy is stripped of White Eagle honor

The poll found no clear consensus in Poland over whether the move strengthens Warsaw’s position abroad or weakens it.

The results broke down as follows:

• 36.4% of respondents said revoking the order would strengthen Poland’s position internationally.
• 31.6% said the decision would weaken the country’s international standing.
• 32% could not answer.

The survey was conducted on June 24, 2026, using computer-assisted web interviews. It included 810 adult Poles and was representative by gender, age and type of locality.

Zelenskyy stripped of the order — key details

Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle on June 19. Nawrocki said naming a Ukrainian military unit after the Heroes of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA, “goes far beyond Ukraine’s domestic affairs.”

On June 20, several Ukrainian politicians and officials announced they were giving up their Polish awards. They included Ukraine’s presidential office head Kyrylo Budanov; Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine’s president from 1994 to 2005; Viktor Yushchenko, president from 2005 to 2010; and Petro Poroshenko, president from 2014 to 2019.

The same day, Zelenskyy said he had sent the Order of the White Eagle to the president of Poland, publishing photos from a Nova Post branch.

Against that backdrop, Zelenskyy did not attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdansk. Ukraine’s delegation to the June 25–26 event was led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.