President Volodymyr Zelensky has submitted a proposed law to parliament that would grant Polish citizens special legal status in Ukraine, as a show of gratitude for the help Poland has provided since Russia’s invasion.
According to the bill, Poles residing on Ukrainian territory would for 18 months be granted the same social benefits as Ukrainians, be allowed to work or run businesses in the country without special permits, and receive access to healthcare and education.
“We have reached the highest level of trust and cooperation in our relations with Poland, not only in terms of the last decades but for many generations of our peoples,” said Zelensky in a video posted on Facebook. “And we need to strengthen our relations in all areas.”
The bill’s objective is to show gratitude “to the Polish people for their solidarity and support of Ukraine in the face of full-scale armed aggression by Russia and taking into account the principle of reciprocity,” according to a statement on the Ukrainian president’s website.
Poland has been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters since Russia’s invasion, providing it with military and humanitarian aid, as well as advocating its cause in international forums.
Poland has been the second-largest donor of in-kind military aid to Ukraine this year and one of few countries to have delivered 100% of promised weapons.
From @kielinstitute's Ukraine Support Tracker: https://t.co/u3tH488XRu pic.twitter.com/KyMcwxnzfI
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 9, 2022
It has also been the primary destination for refugees fleeing Ukraine, and the benefits now proposed by Zelensky for Poles are intended to be analogous to those granted to Ukrainians by Poland earlier this year, after millions fled across the border seeking safety.
In a near-unanimous decision, Polish MPs approved legislation granting the refugees the legal right to remain in Poland for up 18 months from 24 February, when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, and giving them access to social benefits, healthcare and education.
Adam Eberhardt, director of the Warsaw-based Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), noted that Zelensky’s proposal to grant Poles greater rights to conduct business in Ukraine is also “interesting in the context of reconstruction”.
Last week, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH) announced that hundreds of Polish firms had declared interest in a state-run programme aimed at helping Ukraine rebuild after the war. Ukraine’s government also named Poland as one of the countries that will help its postwar recovery.
Zelensky’s decision to submit the bill to parliament yesterday also came at a symbolic moment. On 11 July, Poland commemorates the massacre of around 100,000 ethnic Poles by Ukrainian nationalists during World War Two.
The episode – which is regarded as a genocide in Poland but not in Ukraine – is a longstanding source of tension between the two countries. But Poland’s prime minister yesterday suggested that, amid Russia’s current “genocidal” actions, it could become a “starting point for reconciliation”.
President Andrzej Duda also announced news of Zelensky’s bill during the commemorations, welcoming his Ukrainian counterpart’s “warm invitation” to Poles.
In addition to the bill, Zelensky also on Monday conferred the honorary title of “Rescuer City” upon Przemyśl for the role the Polish city played in helping refugees.
Przemyśl was the first stop for many of those entering Poland via the Medyka border crossing. For weeks, its train station turned into a humanitarian hub, with officials, NGOs and volunteers providing information, food, clothes, beds and other aid to arrivals.
Main photo credit: President Of Ukraine/Flickr (under public domain)
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.
