Ukraine will not join the EU with Bandera: Poland's deputy prime minister made a sharp statement

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Poland Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Ukraine will not be able to join the European Union if it continues the state commemoration of Stepan Bandera, the OUN and the UPA.

This statement by the Polish official was made on 29 June 2026 in the program Gość Wydarzeń on the Polsat News channel.

During the broadcast Kosiniak-Kamysz said that it will be difficult for Ukraine to advance on the path of European integration while having the OUN and the UPA among its state symbols and heroes.

“You cannot put in the pantheon those who undermine European cooperation. With Bandera, Ukraine will not join the European Union,” — the Polish deputy prime minister said.

His words came against the backdrop of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky‘s statement that other states should not determine which heroes Ukrainians ought to commemorate.

In response Kosiniak-Kamysz stressed that Poland will also decide independently how to vote when considering Ukraine’s membership in the EU.

“No one will tell us how we should vote on the accession of a particular country to the European Union,” he said.

The Polish official also agreed with the host’s suggestion that certain forces in Kyiv, by their actions, may hinder Ukraine’s European integration.

Kosiniak-Kamysz had previously criticized decisions by the Ukrainian authorities related to the commemoration of the UPA. In particular, on 5 June 2026 he called the naming of one of the Ukrainian military units “Heroes of the UPA” unacceptable for Poland and urged Kyiv to reconsider the decision.

The statement by the Polish deputy prime minister is particularly significant because key decisions on European Union enlargement require the unanimous support of all member states. Thus, the objection of a single country can stop or delay a candidate country’s accession.