Aug 1 (Reuters) – Ukraine and Poland called on each other’s ambassadors on Tuesday as a dispute escalated after a foreign policy adviser to Poland’s president said Kiev should show more appreciation for the support of Warsaw in his war with Russia.
The adviser, Marcin Przydacz, also said that the Polish government must defend the interests of the country’s farmers, referring to the ban on importing Ukrainian products that will expire next month.
kyiv and Warsaw have been staunch allies during the conflict that erupted with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But the exchanges reflected contentious issues.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said the Polish ambassador was told at the meeting that the statements about Ukraine’s alleged ungratefulness for Poland’s help were “false and unacceptable.”
“We are convinced that the Ukrainian-Polish friendship goes much deeper than political expediency. Politics should not call into question mutual understanding and the strength of relations between our peoples,” a Ukrainian statement said.
Poland also called the Ukrainian ambassador in Warsaw in response to “comments by representatives of the Ukrainian authorities,” the Polish Foreign Ministry wrote on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.
The tweet did not specify which comments it was referring to.
Polish media quoted Przydacz on Monday as speaking about the possible extension of the import ban on Ukrainian agricultural products from Poland.
“The most important thing today is to defend the interests of the Polish farmer,” Przydacz said.
He also said: “I think it would be worthwhile for (kyiv) to start appreciating the role that Poland has played for Ukraine in recent months and years.”
In May, the European Union allowed Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds.
After the Russian invasion blocked Black Sea ports, large amounts of Ukrainian grains, which are cheaper than those produced in the EU, ended up staying in Central European states due to logistics bottlenecks, affecting prices and exports. local farmers sales.
The five countries want the ban on grain imports to be extended at least until the end of the year. It is scheduled to expire on September 15.
Poland’s prime minister said earlier this month that he would not lift the ban on September 15 even if the EU did not agree to its extension.
Kyiv has He described the Polish decision as “unsympathetic” and urged Ukraine’s partners and the European Commission to ensure the unhindered export of all Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU.
Poland’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka and kyiv writing; Edited by Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan, and Alison Williams
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