Polish and Ukrainian media issue joint appeal warning bilateral tensions benefit Russia

Six Polish and Ukrainian media outlets issued a rare joint appeal on June 23, warning that escalating tensions between the two countries risk playing into Russia's hands.

The letter, initiated by Gazeta Wyborcza, one of Poland's leading newspapers, comes amid a deepening diplomatic row sparked by Kyiv naming one of its military units after the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

The move prompted Polish President Karol Nawrocki to strip President Volodymyr Zelensky of Poland's highest state honor, with several former and current Ukrainian officials returning their awards in turn.