Poland's parliament passed a resolution on Friday, determining that the massacre of over 100,000 Poles by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II was a genocide.
“The victims of the crimes committed in the 1940s by Ukrainian nationalists were not duly commemorated, and the mass murder was not defined as genocide in accordance with the historical truth," said the resolution, which was passed by a vote of 432-1.
The move immediately drew a reaction from Kiev, with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko expressing "regret" over the resolution. He went on to invoke Christian teachings, calling for people to “forgive and ask for forgiveness” whilst saying more was needed to be done in order to “determine all the facts of this tragic page of our joint history”.
The resolution by the right-wing dominated parliament also “expresses parliament’s respect for and gratitude to Ukrainians who risked their lives to save Poles”.
"Nor can one dismiss or downplay acts of Polish revenge on Ukrainian villages, during which civilian populations also perished," it added.