Sep 21, 2023 at 12:29 AM Update: 2 hours ago
Poland, one of the Ukrainians’ closest allies since the Russian invasion, will stop supplying weapons to Ukraine. The country is only focusing on its own defense, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday.
“We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,” Morawiecki said when asked by a journalist whether his country will continue to support Kyiv despite disagreements over grain exports.
The Polish decision is the next chapter in a heated row over Ukrainian grain. Last week, Poland, together with Slovakia and Hungary, imposed an import ban on Ukrainian grain, because Polish farmers cannot compete with the cheap food. The country introduced the ban immediately after the EU-wide ban was lifted.
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This led to anger in Kyiv, because this would be against the agreements that Ukraine had made with the EU. President Volodymyr Zelensky lashed out at Poland at the UN summit in the United States. He called the three EU countries’ grain bans “political theater.” That theater plays into Russia’s hands, Zelensky claims.
Polish policymakers in turn reacted furiously to this. This was initially done with strong words, but a little later came the announcement about arms deliveries 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.
📺 Premier @MorawieckiM w #EventGuest For @PolsatNewsPL: Ukraine is defending itself against the brutal Russian attack and I understand this situation, but as I said, we will protect our country. We no longer transfer weapons to 🇺🇦 because we are now arming Poland.
— Chancellery of the Prime Minister (@PremierRP) September 20, 2023
Poland is one of Ukraine’s most important allies
The row is notable because the two countries have grown closer since the Russian invasion that began early last year.
Poland is among Kyiv’s most important allies and has sent weapons and emergency aid to Ukraine. The country has also opened its borders to Ukrainian refugees.
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Image: Zelensky
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2023-09-20 22:29:00
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