On 9 January, an interdepartmental meeting on preparations for the Ukrainian-Polish Forum of Historians scheduled for spring 2026 took place at the Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine Ivan Verbytskyi, Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory Oleksandr Alfyorov, Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Bodnar (online), Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ihor Ostash, as well as representatives of other relevant Ukrainian authorities.

The participants of the meeting noted significant progress in resolving sensitive issues of shared historical past and establishing constructive bilateral dialogue on issues of national memory. Particularly, they highlighted the significant intensification of search and exhumation work in both countries during 2025, which has already helped to reduce tensions on these issues and was noted during the meeting between the Presidents of Ukraine and Poland in Warsaw in December last year.

Olexandr Mischenko noted the utmost importance of the decision to resume the Ukrainian-Polish Forum of Historians after a almost 15-year hiatus, with a meeting scheduled for spring 2026 in Poland.

In this context, the Deputy Minister stressed that this format of interaction should become an effective platform for discussion on complex topics of the common history of the two nations and will allow for a radical reduction in the politicisation of historical issues in bilateral relations between our countries.

The head of the UINM, Oleksandr Alfyorov, informed the participants of the meeting about his joint work with the deputy director of the Polish Juliusz Mieroszewski Dialogue Centre, Łukasz Adamski, as co-organisers of the future Forum, as well as about the preliminary results of the preparatory meeting of the organising committee of the meeting.

The participants discussed further steps in preparing for the Forum, in particular its format and modalities, and agreed on a schedule for relevant contacts with the Polish side.

Summarising the results of the meeting, Olexandr Mischenko emphasised that the Ukrainian side is ready to conduct an objective discussion among historians within the framework of the Forum, based on archival documents and historical facts, to prevent speculation on the topic of the Volyn tragedy in the discourses of both countries.

Furthermore, specific steps in cooperation with the Polish side on issues of historical memory will prevent Russia, the aggressor country, from driving a wedge between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples and states through the dissemination of disinformation and manipulation of historical data.