Volodymyr Zelenskiy tries to calm spirits after Poland accused Ukraine of ingratitude
Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed for calm on Tuesday evening in an effort to end a diplomatic row sparked by a series of "unacceptable" comments by Polish President Andrzej Duda's foreign policy adviser that led to the summoning of Poland's ambassador to the Ukrainian ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports POLITICO. Zelenskiy said that no political incident can damage the relations between the two peoples.
"During the meeting (with the Polish ambassador - ed.), it was emphasized that the statements about the alleged lack of gratitude of the Ukrainians to the help provided by Poland (in the war with Russia - ed.) are untrue and unacceptable", said the spokesperson of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oleg Nikolenko.
Kiev's reaction comes after Polish President Andrzej Duda's foreign policy adviser Marcin Przydacz spoke on Monday about Poland's decision to unilaterally extend the ban on the import of four Ukrainian agricultural products and called on Kiev to be grateful to Warsaw for political and military support on who offers it to him in the war with Russia, writes Digi24.ro. "We greatly appreciate the support of Poland, which, together with us, has become a real shield of Europe from one sea to the other. And there cannot be even a crack in this shield," Zelenski said.
"We will not allow any political incident to spoil the relations between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, and emotions should definitely calm down," added the president of Ukraine.
On the other hand, the Prime Minister of Poland claims that Ukraine should not have reacted in this way under any circumstances. "The summoning of the Polish ambassador - a representative of the country, the only one left in Kiev on the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine - to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine should never have happened," said Mateusz Morawiecki, the Prime Minister of Poland.
"Considering the enormous support that Poland has given to Ukraine, such mistakes should not happen," the prime minister emphasized.
Poland has been one of Kiev's most vocal supporters since Moscow's aggression intensified. But in recent months, Poland's relations with Kiev have been affected by Warsaw's decision to extend a ban on some Ukrainian agricultural imports, which the Polish government considers a threat to the interests of domestic farmers. Initially focused on grains, the dispute is now expanding to fruits such as raspberries and currants. Polish farmers, a key constituency in the upcoming October elections, complain that lower-priced imports from Ukraine are spoiling the market.
