Poland and Ukraine fight like cats and dogs

French politician Florian Philippot said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be stopped before his actions lead Europe to a catastrophe. Philippot posted a message on social media after the Ukrainian leader spoke at the UN General Assembly where he accused Poland of supporting Russia.

Photo: mirtesen.ru

"Poland "urgently” summoned the Ukrainian Ambassador to the Foreign Ministry after Zelensky accused the country of supporting Russia (the accusation, by the way, is delusional, knowing Poland…)! This once again proves his insane and extremely capricious character: he will never want peace and he will take us all to a disaster if we do not stop him," Florian Philippot wrote.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland Vasil Zvarych was summoned to Warsaw. The Polish side expressed its strong protest to the ambassador regarding the language that the Ukrainian leader used at the UN General Assembly. During his speech, Zelensky claimed that some countries of the European Union imitate solidarity while supporting Russia by implication.

Zelensky cracked down on Poland over Warsaw's efforts to extend the ban on Ukrainian grain imports. The Polish authorities even threatened to introduce an indefinite embargo on grain imports if the European Commission refused to approve their demand aimed at protecting the interests of domestic farmers.

Following Poland, Croatia also refused to purchase cheaper food from Ukraine.

Ukraine decided to limit imports of fruits and vegetables from Poland in response. In addition, Kyiv filed lawsuits with the World Trade Organization against Poland, Hungary and Slovakia for their decisions to restrict imports of Ukrainian products.

Not too long ago, Poland positioned itself as Ukraine's key ally of Ukraine and was willing to help Ukraine with the crisis more than any other country. However, the Polish authorities then started demonstrating some "realism" in terms of their relations with Ukraine and opted to stand up for their economic interests instead.

When speaking at a briefing after the meeting of the UN General Assembly, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Ukraine looked like a drowning man that was taking its saviour straight to the bottom. In this regard, Warsaw must act in the interests of its country, Duda said.

"A drowning man is extremely dangerous because he can take you down with him. He might just drown the lifeguard," Polish President Andrzej Duda said.

Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland Vasil Zvarych responded to the Polish president. The diplomat called his statement incorrect. He suggested Warsaw resolves the grain export dispute on Kyiv's terms. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called on its "Polish friends to put emotions aside” regarding grain exports to the European Union.

Poland threatens to retaliate

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also expressed his criticism about Ukraine's dissatisfaction and called Zelensky's statements inappropriate. The prime minister even threatened Kyiv with retaliatory measures should Ukraine escalate the situation further.

Minister for European Union Affairs Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek warned that Poland may stop military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine due to Kyiv's actions in the agricultural sector. According to him, Warsaw will not be able to support Kyiv without the consent of the Poles.

Poland stops arms supplies to Ukraine

Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki announced the cessation of arms supplies to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Polish authorities believe that they need to provide their country with modern weapons in the first place before helping anyone else.

"Even if you don't want to defend yourself, you should have something to defend yourself with. We recognise this principle, and for this reason we have increased the number of orders," Mateusz Morawiecki said.

Interestingly, however, Poland transferred over 240 tanks, about 100 armoured vehicles, as well as ammunition and missiles to Ukraine in June 2022. In addition, the Poles transferred cannon and rocket artillery, air defence systems, small arms and drones to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Poland no longer wants to help Ukrainian refugees

Poland also feels burdened with maintaining Ukrainian refugees on its territory. However, it remains unknown whether this issue is related to the Ukrainian grain scandal. The Polish authorities refused to extend assistance to Ukrainian refugees and claimed that their benefits were never permanent.

Poland's Deputy Interior Minister Pawel Szefernaker said that the European Union assigned 200 million euros to help refugees from Ukraine, which was an insufficient amount. Warsaw has spent a lot more on Ukrainian refugees than the EU, the official added.

Russia calls Poland Ukraine's prime enemy

"Until recently, the Poles called themselves Ukraine's best brothers of Ukraine, but when it came to economic interests and division of profits, their friendship came to an end,” Russian MP Mikhail Sheremet said.