Pavlo Levchuk: Ukraine-Poland Relations Are Stronger Than Political Statements
Ukrainian-Polish relations have increasingly become a focus of political debate in recent times. The cause lies in historical issues, including the Volyn tragedy, the exhumation of victims, and assessments of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and certain historical figures. Against this backdrop, Polish politicians have made statements about the prospects for Ukraine’s European integration.
These very topics were discussed on the Suspilne Novyny broadcast with Pavlo Levchuk, a linguist, Polonist, and associate professor at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Commenting on a statement by Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz that Ukraine should not join the European Union without resolving historical disputes, Pavlo Levchuk stressed that political rhetoric should not be equated with the sentiments of Polish society.
“I don’t sense any fundamental change in people’s attitudes. On the contrary, many say the problem needs to be resolved, not deepened,” he noted.
In the scholar’s view, today more Poles recognize the need for dialogue rather than confrontation. According to him, everyday life presents a different picture than political headlines: Ukrainians and Poles work together, study, carry out joint projects, and support one another.
At the same time, Pavlo Levchuk pointed out that the current escalation in rhetoric is largely tied to internal political processes in Poland. The country is entering a new electoral cycle, and historical topics are increasingly being used by certain political forces to mobilize voters. He believes that many high-profile statements should therefore be viewed primarily in the context of domestic politics rather than as a reflection of Polish society’s actual attitude toward Ukraine.
Education as a Bridge Between Ukraine and Poland
Despite the political debates, cooperation in the humanitarian sphere continues to develop.
Pavlo Levchuk said that in June he took part in international academic conferences on the development of the Ukrainian language in Poland. According to him, Polish school principals are not abandoning the introduction of Ukrainian as a second foreign language because of political statements. Work on developing this area continues.
Pavlo Levchuk is the author of a curriculum for teaching Ukrainian as a second foreign language in Polish schools, which we wrote about earlier. The program was developed with the support of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation and became an important step toward integrating the Ukrainian language into the Polish education system. It opened the possibility of introducing Ukrainian as a second foreign language in Polish schools and set a precedent for the first-ever state matura exam in Ukrainian as a foreign language in Poland’s history.
For the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, supporting this project is part of Ukraine’s broader cultural diplomacy strategy. The spread of the Ukrainian language in the European educational space not only helps Ukrainian children maintain a connection with their own culture but also fosters better mutual understanding between Ukrainians and Poles.
Political Context and Public Sentiment
The broadcast also discussed the results of an SV Research opinion poll conducted after one of the regiments of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces was given the honorary title “Heroes of the UPA.”
According to the survey, 52% of respondents said their attitude toward Ukrainians worsened as a result, 32% said they felt no change, and 4.5% said their attitude improved.
Commenting on these results, Pavlo Levchuk called for evaluating them in a broader political context. In his view, public sentiment is shaped largely by active political debate and the election campaign, not solely by individual decisions or historical topics.
At the same time, he is convinced that the foundation of Ukrainian-Polish relations is built not on political statements but on cooperation between people, education, culture, and joint humanitarian initiatives. It is these that create space for understanding and mutual trust even during periods of difficult political debate.
