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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had to call for calm late Tuesday as tempers soared between diplomats from his country and Poland.
On Tuesday, Kyiv summoned Warsaw's envoy following a top Polish official openly complaining that Ukraine needs to be more appreciative of the help Poland has given them after Russia's invasion last year. This was a similar complaint many American conservatives and perhaps a few liberals had with Ukraine and Zelenskyy. It seemed to many Americans that he was expecting us to do more in his war effort and this notion wasn't lost on Poland's envoy.
“We greatly appreciate the historical support of Poland, which together with us has become a real shield of Europe from sea to sea. And there cannot be a single crack in this shield,” Zelenskyy said. “We will not allow any political instants to spoil the relations between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, and emotions should definitely cool down.”
Poland has been one of Ukraine's greatest supporters after Russia's aggressive actions increased last year. However, more recently, Poland's relations with Kyiv have deteriorated by Warsaw's decision to extend a ban on some Ukrainian agricultural exports because they viewed this as a threat to the interests of their farmers.
“We greatly appreciate the historical support of Poland, which together with us has become a real shield of Europe from sea to sea. And there cannot be a single crack in this shield,” Zelenskyy said. “We will not allow any political instants to spoil the relations between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, and emotions should definitely cool down.”
Poland has been one of Ukraine's greatest supporters after Russia's aggressive actions increased last year. However, more recently, Poland's relations with Kyiv have deteriorated by Warsaw's decision to extend a ban on some Ukrainian agricultural exports because they viewed this as a threat to the interests of their farmers.
The initial ban was mainly on grain, but is now shifting to soft fruit. Poland's farmers happen to be a key constituency in the upcoming Polish general elections, and nothing is more important to politicians, be they from Poland or the United States, than getting reelected. The low-price Ukrainian imports are hurting Polish farmers and politicians suddenly care.
The brewing disputes escalated Tuesday after Ukraine summoned the Polish ambassador to Kyiv over “unacceptable” comments made by a senior Polish official.
Marcin Przydacz [pronounced "Prrzzdaczrpzz"] head of Poland's international policy office said Kyiv ought to “start appreciating the role Poland has played for Ukraine in recent months and years” causing Ukrainian heads to explode to the point they hauled in Warsaw's ambassador and prompted Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to hit back at Ukraine.
“The summoning of the Polish ambassador — a representative of the country that was the only one left in Kyiv on the day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — to the Ukrainian foreign ministry should never have happened,” Morawiecki said.
“Given the enormity of the support Poland has given Ukraine, such mistakes should not happen,” the prime minister added, verbally flipping ungrateful Ukraine the "bird."
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