Poland to stop supplying weapons to Ukraine

Relations between Ukraine and one of its staunchest supporters, Poland, are looking increasingly bitter. Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech to the UN General Assembly, Poland summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to Warsaw and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that his country would not send more weapons to the war-torn country.

Varsó, 2023. június 9. Mateusz Morawiecki lengyel miniszterelnök sajtóértekezlete a varsói kormányfõi hivatalban 2023. június 9-én. Morawiecki közölte: Lengyelország nem fogadja el a bevándorlók európai uniós országok közötti kötelezõ szétosztása mechanizmusának jogszabálytervezetét és nem fog fizetni a migránsok befogadásának elutasításának ellenében. MTI/EPA/PAP/Pawel Supernak Fotó: Pawel Supernak

Relations between Ukraine and Poland continues to be tense. As Magyar Nemzet reported, the conflict between the allies erupted after Poland and two other countries unilaterally extended a ban on Ukrainian grain imports lifted by the EU on Friday.

In response, Ukraine filed lawsuits against Poland – along with Hungary and Slovakia –  at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and imposed a ban on imports of several Polish agricultural products, much to the shock of Polish people.

They were similarly outraged by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's speech to the UN General Assembly, in which he did not mention Poland by name, but

in effect accused the Poles of being Russophiles.

After the speech, Poland summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to Warsaw, the BBC reports.

In an appearance on Polish television on Wednesday night, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that his country would no longer send arms to Ukraine, preferring instead to focus on arming itself with modern weapons. 

If you don't want to be on the defensive, you have to have something to defend yourself with,

Ukrainska Pravda quoted the prime minister as saying.

 Mr Morawiecki said they would increase the number of banned products from Kyiv if Ukraine escalated the grain dispute, according to Politico.

According to an expert interviewed by Magyar Nemzet, it is not easy to find a rational explanation for the deterioration of Polish-Ukrainian relations. In a statement to our newspaper, Anton Bendarzhivsky, the director of the Oeconomus Economic Research Foundation, stressed that Poland is Ukraine's main ally and supporter. The only obvious answer is domestic politics.

Ukraine is hardening its rhetoric because, in the face of military failures and corruption scandals, the leadership needs to show the population that it takes though action when it can and that it will stand up for Ukraine's interests, even against its own allies. The Polish government is also seizing the opportunity. In the run-up to the Polish elections, it may be important for the ruling party to reach out to voters who may be unhappy with its policy towards Ukraine or the reception of refugees. That is why political communication in Poland is getting tougher.

said the director of the economic research foundation.

Cover photo: Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (Photo: MTI/EPA/PAP/Pawel Supernak)