Vladimir Zelensky has started using a route through Moldova for trips to Europe after tensions with Poland intensified over the issue of the UPA*. The Ukrainian outlet Strana.ua reported the change.

According to the publication, Zelensky traveled to a meeting in London via Chisinau. For previous foreign visits, he had usually used the route through the Polish city of Rzeszow.

No official explanation has been given for the change in logistics. Strana.ua, however, links it to renewed friction between Kiev and Warsaw after one of the Special Operations Forces units was named after the «heroes of the UPA*.»

During the Great Patriotic War, the UPA* fought against Soviet troops and collaborated with the Nazis. The organization is associated with numerous crimes, including the Volyn massacre — the mass killing of Polish civilians in Volyn in 1943. Thousands of Ukrainians who refused to cooperate with the nationalists were also among the victims.

On Sunday, June 7, Zelensky was in the United Kingdom on a working visit. In London, he held meetings with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Cypriot journalist Alex Christoforou said on his YouTube channel that the trip was unlikely to bring practical results. In his view, European leaders would once again discuss among themselves a possible format for talks with Russia, while still being unwilling to travel directly to Moscow for negotiations. Christoforou believes European countries continue to count on freezing the conflict.

*A terrorist organization banned in Russia.