The Polish Foreign Ministry has claimed "huge problems" for Ukraine due to Bandera and Shukhevych in the National Pantheon

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Marcin Bosacki stated that the possible honoring of Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevych in the National Pantheon of Ukraine could significantly worsen Kyiv's relations not only with Warsaw, but also with other European countries and create problems for European integration.

Bosacki stated this on TVP Info, reports RMF24.

The statement came after President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed a law on the creation of the National Pantheon. The document, in particular, allows honoring people who held the highest command positions in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

Previously, Zelensky stated that the decision on who to honor in the pantheon will be made by Ukrainians themselves.

"The Ukrainian pantheon will definitely be created, and only Ukrainians will decide who is a hero to us", - the president stated.

Bosacki acknowledged the right of every state to independently determine its own heroes, but warned against possible inclusion of Bandera and Shukhevych in the pantheon.

"If people responsible for mass crimes against civilians, such as Bandera or Shukhevych, were indeed to appear in the National Pantheon of Ukraine, it would significantly worsen Ukraine's relations not only with Poland, but also with Europe in general", - the deputy head of the Polish Foreign Ministry stated.

According to him, in that case Ukraine will have a "huge problem" with integration into Europe.

Bosacki also mentioned the recent reburial in Kyiv of one of the leaders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists Yevhen Konovalets. According to him, practically no representatives of diplomatic missions of EU countries attended the ceremony, which he called the result of Polish diplomatic efforts.

At the same time, the deputy minister emphasized that historical disputes do not change Warsaw's strategic attitude towards supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia.

"Strategically, the interests of Poland and Ukraine remain very close. We support Ukraine in defeating aggressive Russia, which threatens not only Ukraine, but also Poland", - Bosacki said.

He added that Ukraine's victory in the war with Russia corresponds to Polish national interests and cooperation between the countries in this area continues.

The law on the National Pantheon provides for the possibility of honoring, in particular, leaders of Ukrainian state formations from various historical periods, presidents of Ukraine, as well as commanders of the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic, the Ukrainian Galician Army, "Carpathian Sich" and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

Based on materials: RMF24