The upset between Poland and Ukraine over the mutual appointment of ambassadors continues. Ukraine must be aware that if “such disputes” arise, it will be much more difficult for Poland to continue supporting it, said Radoslaw Fogiel, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Polish parliament.

Yesterday, the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv summoned the Polish ambassador – out of anger at statements by Polish State Secretary Marcin Przydacz. He had defended the import restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural products on Monday – and in this context called for more gratitude from Kiev. “Ukraine should start appreciating what Poland has done for them,” he said.

Ukraine said the statements about the “alleged ingratitude of Ukrainians” do not correspond to reality and are “unacceptable”.

This in turn irritated Warsaw. Poland, otherwise a staunch supporter of Ukraine, summoned the Ukrainian ambassador. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said: “Under war conditions and taking into account Poland’s huge support for Ukraine, such mistakes should not occur in international politics.”

The background is the import ban on Ukrainian grain to Poland. He should ensure that grain prices in the EU country remain stable for its own farmers. However, the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products to third countries is unaffected by the import ban.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the other hand, struck a more conciliatory tone. “We will not allow any political snapshots to destroy relations between the Ukrainian and Polish people,” he wrote on Twitter. And: “The emotions should definitely cool down.” The freedom and well-being of both countries and standing together against Russia’s war come first.

Image by Wikimedia/Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)