"Zelensky is very wrong"

Poland says the Ukrainian president is blindly following German instructions, but this is a big mistake.

Ottawa, 2023. szeptember 23. Volodimir Zelenszkij ukrán elnök a Justin Trudeau kanadai miniszterelnökkel közösen tartott sajtótájékoztatójukon Ottawában 2023. szeptember 22-én. MTI/AP/The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick Fotó: Sean Kilpatrick

The hottest topic in Polish media and political life is the rift in the relations between Ukraine and Poland, triggered by the filing of a complaint by Ukraine with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Poland and other countries over the their governments’ continued ban on the imports of Ukrainian grain. Since then, messages between the two countries has become an everyday occurrence, with a significant proportion of Poles believing that the Germans are behind it, using the Ukrainians as puppets.

The worst thing is that the situation of a war-torn country, of which we are the main ally, is being used against us. Make no mistake: it is the work of the leaders of Germany and the European Union. And this fight can spread to other areas in a moment,

said Marzena Nykiel, editor-in-chief of the wPolityce.pl portal, on the Journalists' Salon, a joint public affairs show of wPolityce, Radio Warsaw and the weekly Idziemy. She added that, contrary to the Ukrainian narrative, Poland is not blocking the transit of grain through the country.

The transit is allowed. We just don't let the grain enter our market because we have enough of our own and we suffered the profound consequences of this situation last year, so now we have to be smarter,

Marzena Nykiel stressed.

Jacek Leski of the Polish television network TVP also appeared on the program, pointing out that Zelensky had accused the Poles at the UN of helping the Russians.

President Zelensky's statement at the UN General Assembly forum is, in my opinion, a major political blunder. In Ukraine the comments are different, but most of them suggest that Mr Zelensky made a fatal mistake when he said that,

said Jacek Leski. The statement would cast a shadow over Polish-Ukrainian relations for many years to come, he opined.

Moreover, the repercussions will be so significant that support for aid to Ukraine will diminish in Poland. If Kyiv pulls a stunt like this, it will be much harder for any government to maintain such a high level of commitment to Ukraine. This is no way to behave towards a country that provides help as a friend wherever it can,

he added.

Marek Formela, editor-in-chief of the Polish newspaper Gazeta Gdanska was asked on the program where the diplomatic row over the grain could lead. He replied by saying that if Ukraine escalates the situation, responds with an embargo on more Polish agricultural products and does not withdraw its complaint to the WTO, there will be even more serious problems in relations between the two countries. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on 22 September 2023 (Photo: MTI/AP/The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick)