It looks like someone’s passing on pierogies this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, Poland. Instead, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko will head up the delegation.

Award drama rewrites history

Polish President Karol Nawrocki decided on June 19, 2026, to strip Zelenskyy of the Order of the White Eagle, an accolade awarded to him back in 2023. Why the sudden change of heart? Zelenskyy named a Ukrainian military unit after the controversial Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in May 2026, which doesn’t sit well with Poland given their complex WWII history. The back-and-forth of renouncing honors has fueled discontent on both sides, with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk labeling the discord a ‘strategic mistake.’

The URC 2026 conference, scheduled for June 25–26, aims to secure crucial reconstruction investments for Ukraine—including financial infusions into logistics, energy, infrastructure, and a proposed security dimension. Prime Minister Svyrydenko was confirmed as the leader of the Ukrainian delegation on June 23, 2026, with a focus on defense, resilience, and energy sector agreements.

The URC 2026 marks the first collaboration between Poland and Ukraine in this conference format, with an intent to strengthen mutual defense capabilities amid ongoing regional tensions. The historical friction revisits the UPA’s contentious role during World War II, which involved both resistance against Nazi and Soviet oppression and allegations of ethnic violence against Polish citizens.