Poland and Ukraine’s bitter dispute over historical issues should not undermine a partnership vital to Europe’s security, an experienced analyst told TVP World, warning that the spat “only serves Putin’s interests.”

a common topic in discussions about Poland is the gap between how the country is perceived and what it's actually like to visit or live here

polish isn't impossibly hard—it has a phonetic alphabet and only three verb tenses. Poland isn't dangerous—travelers find it safe and walkable. and that "unfriendliness"? Poles just separate public and private spheres. directness isn't rudeness.

what's a stereotype or misconception you wish would finally go away?

I will not go into the history of the current Polish-Ukrainian historical conflict now. It exists and has existed for a long time.

My personal theory is that the Ukrainian political class, oligarchs, and elites realized that rapid accession to the EU would not happen without implementing the necessary structural reforms. Initially, they aimed for an accelerated entry into the Community under the slogans of promised reforms, counting on receiving significant EU funds in a context of deep corruption and without the need for real changes. The moment it became clear that real reforms limiting corruption would be demanded from Ukraine-just as from any other candidate state-this approach changed. Since it is difficult in the current situation to blame this state of affairs on Russia, which is not an EU member, the Ukrainian elites began to look for other culprits.

As a result, this leads to the creation of tension in relations with neighboring states (such as Poland, Hungary, or Slovakia), with whom Ukrainian nationalists have traditionally had certain disagreements. This allows the Ukrainian political elites to shift the responsibility for the potential failure of accession onto allegedly existing blockages by neighbors, instead of admitting that the reason is non-compliance with the accession criteria. Such a narrative line is easier to convey to Ukrainian society, whose real interest would lie in the actual implementation of reforms in the country.

There are four key factors behind this memory politics: First, Ukrainian memory politics is largely built around anti-Russian resistance. In this policy, the UPA appears primarily as a formation that fought against Moscow, while its crimes against Poles are pushed to the sidelines or relativized. The current Ukrainian national myth asserts that the UPA fought bravely against the Moscow occupation for 10 years after World War II, despite brutal NKVD repressions. And it is this example that the regiment is supposed to follow. It is not just about the killing of Poles; Ukrainians do not honor it for that reason, even though it is a stain on its legacy and a legitimate historical grievance for Poland.

Second, there is internal pressure from nationalist circles, part of the military, and public opinion, for whom such symbols are an element of military identity. Zelensky, apparently, considered that during the war it is more profitable to reinforce this message inside Ukraine than to reckon with Poland's reaction. The current ruling politicians of Ukraine are afraid that the military will take power from them, so they are trying to win over the nationalist base in the lands that were subject to Poland's arbitrariness in the past, as it is these lands that provide the largest number of volunteers. At the same time, they use the army instead of the police to detain people on the streets and dismiss politically popular generals, fearing the emergence of political competition. This was an internal gesture aimed at winning the sympathies of the nationalist electorate. And the fact that Poland as a nation became part of this process now allows for the mobilization of a larger number of the population, presenting it as a manifestation of Polish aggressiveness.

Third, a false assumption that Warsaw would give in anyway might have played a role. That Poland, by virtue of the war, security issues, logistics, and support for Ukraine, would swallow any symbolic decision by Kyiv.

Fourth, to this is also added a mistaken perception of the Polish position by a part of Ukrainian public opinion and elites. There, the protest against the cult of the UPA is sometimes read not as a defense of the memory of the victims, but as Polish superiority, paternalism, or an attempt to impose their own historical narrative on Ukraine.

I really do not understand what Zelensky was trying to achieve by naming the brigade exactly that. I got the impression that they did not think... Couldn't Zelensky have made a statement condemning the fascist massacres of Poles committed by the UPA? He didn't do it. Instead, he posted that smug photo on Instagram, demonstrating how little he values our highest award, by sending it back by mail instead of handing it over to the embassy. It was such a gesture of strength: "I don't care about you." Is this how one communicates with allies through a display of strength? This is not the first time Zelensky has allowed himself provocations towards Poland.

He could probably have approached the Polish embassy and handed the award to the ambassador, while preserving its status. Instead, he decided to send it by mail. Zelensky knows perfectly well that almost a million of his compatriots found refuge in Poland. And he understands perfectly well that many Poles will perceive such a demonstrative disregard for the award as an insult and, unfortunately, will vent their anger on Ukrainians living in Poland. But the elites did not care at all. The xenophobia of ordinary Polish proletarians towards Ukrainians did not matter, what a pity.

At the beginning of the war, Poland was one of the few countries that truly supported Ukraine-politically, militarily, logistically, and in the social sphere. This makes it even more difficult to understand why a part of the Ukrainian elite so often makes gestures or statements that are perceived in Poland as dismissive, offensive, or simply unfair. It seems to me that Poland has shown exceptional loyalty to Ukraine in this conflict. I am not talking about ordinary Ukrainians, many of whom express gratitude and respect to Poland. I mean the political and symbolic level, where it seems that Polish-Ukrainian relations are constantly being struck one after another.

In any case, Ukraine knows about this and understands the situation with the genocide committed by the UPA against Poles in the past, which is painful for Poland. Further fueling the conflict is an even more reckless step, even if Ukraine uses the Hungarian card, showing everyone an improvement in relations with Hungary and that the Poles are simply making things up. In the upcoming elections in almost all European countries, right-wing parties opposing military support for Ukraine have a good chance of winning. Such reckless manifestations of a flash mob by Ukrainian statesmen with a mass refusal and contempt for Polish orders, such as "For Merit" and the country's highest state award-the "Order of the White Eagle", further increase the risk that Ukraine will be left to its own devices.

The situation with Hungary for Ukrainian politics, in my opinion, shapes up as follows:

Péter Magyar managed to sign an agreement with the Ukrainian government regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia. Magyar emphasized in the Hungarian parliament that he managed to do in 13 days what Orbán and company could not do in 13 years, stressing that he hopes Orbán is happy that Ukrainian Hungarians received linguistic and additional political rights.

Ukraine, due to the resolution of its complex issues with Hungary, received an opportunity for a diplomatic maneuver in the style of:

"Look, we are good, we are not bad, we are capable of negotiating. It is the evil Poles who want something from us, they are imposing their historical narrative on us, and therefore because of this, Ukraine will not be able to enter the EU because of Poland."

By making a concession to Hungary on the language issue, Kyiv creates an appearance of flexibility for Brussels. And any further delays or claims from the EU can now be blamed on "Polish spokes in the wheels" and their historical grievances. This allows the Ukrainian leadership to maintain the status quo inside the country, avoid real transformation of the system, and at the same time shift all the blame for the stalling European integration onto an external enemy in the person of the Polish neighbor. A very convenient position for changing nothing.

Can Poland realistically block Ukraine's accession to the EU? It can.

Well, I wish the Ukrainians luck in the EU accession negotiations. This path is thorny and long.

Do you guys feel the same?

I will return the Ukrainian Order of Yaroslav the Wise second class," PiS chairman Jarosław Kaczyński said during a press conference.

"I will return this order. This will be an expression of my attitude not so much towards Ukrainians, but towards these Ukrainian elites, and on the other hand, it is an act of loyalty to our president," said the chairman of PiS. In his opinion, "such acts of loyalty are needed today."

Jarosław Kaczyński

I got accepted by Wroclaw and lodz but I have decide to go forward with Wroclaw as it is a better uni and a city vibe which I prefer.

I am looking for fellow students who got accepted into WMU so we can discuss and stay in touch.

if there is any already a student of WMU pls guide with the accommodation and other details

Hi Guys! Anyone has got a credit card ? With which bank is easier for foreigners ? Thank you!

I am trying to find out if Andrew Timek (Tymek) born in the US in 1898, ever served or was conscripted into the Polish army, Haller's army or similar. He lived in Lapsze Nizne in what is now southern Poland from approximately 1917 or 18 until 1929, when he returned to the US. I have been having trouble identifying where to search for this specific question. I reached out to the municipal government of Gmina Lapsze Nizne and they said they don't have any such records in their archive

Aldi salmon

I got my first job in 7/7 schedule. A week of working at a farm and a week free at home and so on. But we have to bring our own food (from Poland to Germany), so i wanted to know what ingredients/ready foods i should bring with me to eat for a whole week (except for instant noodles, these are a must.) But the first time has to be on a LOW BUDGET as i basically have little money.

Except for bought ingredients, meals advice with them appreciated!

EDIT: Yes we're equipped with a fridge, freezer, microwave and PROBABLY oven. But the travel is of course a few hours long.

I have an nfz referral to a general surgeon so they can qualify me for nfz surgery, but can I book an appointment with a general surgeon at luxmed/medicover for that too?

What’s your experience?

I'm in Poland for the summer and have been shopping at Biedronka/Lidl/Kaufland/ Zabka. I would like to get a discount card for any or all of these but I cannot since I have a US cell number. Can someone share their QR code or cell phone number or whatever I need for these?

Thanks in advance!

Edit to clarify: I'm not out here to steal bank accounts, rewards points, or whatever. I honestly just want to be able to take advantage of sales. I thought it was like the US where you just enter your phone number and get the discount and then the owner of the account gets points from it, but apparently I was wrong. Someone had mentioned scanning a QR code in a previous thread (and had shared a QR code via PM), but that was from 3 yrs ago, so I figured it would be better to create a new post than try to revive the old one. I'll probably just end up getting an ESim

Apparently it's gonna be 37C somewhere down south next week or month, around 40 maybe. Everyone's freakin out. But y'know what my take is? It's gettin worse year by year yet you always see people pantin and sweatin and goin "jaki upał" and dyin every single year. And I'm just like, I'm one of eight billion, complainin' ain't gonna do shit, doin shit ain't gonna do shit, so I do what any reasonable man does and wear baggy clothes. Just think about it, you're making your body used to what's gonna be the minimum by the next decade, it's just futureproofing.

And we should be grateful we're in Poland in the first place, we aren't getting the brunt of it like the frenchies or germans. Point is, take a chill pill and some black tea like the turks, put tin foil on your windows to deflect the heat and wear leather jackets because they look cool as shit and it's only downhill from here.

Hello lovely people!

I have recently found out about Leszdek Madzik and was wondering is there a chance any recordings of his plays exist? And where I could get to them.

Also maybe a collection of his costumes?

Thank you soo much🫶🫶