Kuchma, Yushchenko refuse Polish Order of the White Eagle

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, along with former presidents Leonid Kuchma and Viktor Yushchenko, have renounced Poland's Order of the White Eagle after Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Zelensky of the honor. Nawrocki cited Zelensky's decision to rename a Ukrainian military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army as the reason. Zelensky returned the award, stating it was addressed to the Ukrainian people and army, and noted that the order had previously been given to figures like Catherine the Great and Benito Mussolini. Kuchma renounced his 1997 award, asserting that Ukraine did not fight Russia to have other countries dictate its history. Yushchenko also renounced the order in solidarity.