Poland, one of Ukraine’s closest allies since the Russian invasion, will stop supplying weapons to Ukraine. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday that the country was only focused on defending itself.
“We no longer transfer weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,” Morawiecki said when a journalist asked him whether his country would continue to support Kiev despite disputes over grain exports.
The Polish decision is the next chapter in a heated dispute over Ukrainian grains. Last week, Poland, in cooperation with Slovakia and Hungary, imposed a ban on the import of Ukrainian grain, because Polish farmers are unable to compete with cheap food. The country imposed the ban immediately after the ban was lifted at the European Union level.
Ontvang meldingen bij nieuws over de oorlog in Oekraïne
This sparked anger in Kiev, because this would contradict the agreements that Ukraine concluded with the European Union. President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Poland at the UN summit in the United States. He described the grain embargo imposed by the three European Union countries as a “political farce.” Zelensky claims that this theater is in Russia’s interest.
Polish policymakers, in turn, reacted angrily. This was done at first with strong words, but soon after that came the announcement of the delivery of weapons from Poland to Ukraine. “We are no longer sending weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland,” the Polish Prime Minister’s Office wrote on X.
Poland is one of Ukraine’s most important allies
This disagreement is notable because the two countries have become closer to each other since the Russian invasion that began early last year.
Poland is one of Kiev’s most important allies and has sent weapons and emergency aid to Ukraine. The country also opened its borders to Ukrainian refugees.
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