Poland summoned the Ukrainian ambassador today because of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's comments on the grain import ban that angered the government in Warsaw, which is tightening its stance ahead of elections in October.
Poland has been one of Ukraine's staunchest allies since Russia launched the invasion, but the two countries have been at loggerheads over agricultural imports since Poland, along with Hungary and Slovakia, extended a ban on grain imports from its neighbor.
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, Zelensky said that Kiev is working to preserve land routes for the export of grain, but he added that the "political theater" surrounding the import of grain only helps Moscow.
"Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Pavel Jablonski conveyed the strong protest of the Polish side against the statements made yesterday by President V. Zelenski at the UN General Assembly stating that some EU countries are feigning solidarity by indirectly supporting Russia," the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.
It is also reported that Jablonski told Ambassador Vasil Zvarič "that putting pressure on Poland in multilateral forums or sending complaints to international courts are not appropriate methods of resolving disputes between our countries", reports Reuters.
Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports on Friday after the European Commission decided not to extend the ban on imports to five EU member states that border Ukraine, including Romania and Bulgaria.
The ban was imposed to protect farmers in those countries from a surge in grain and food imports from Ukraine, after the Russian invasion largely blocked Ukrainian routes through Black Sea ports.
Romania will work with Ukraine over the next 30 days on a grain export control plan that will help protect Romanian farmers, Romanian Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu said today, Reuters reported.
A spokesman for the World Trade Organization confirmed on Tuesday that Ukraine had taken the first step in the trade dispute by filing a complaint with the body.
He did not name the countries, although the Kyiv authorities previously announced that Poland, Slovakia and Hungary were the targets of the appeal.
Ukraine said on Tuesday that it would impose retaliatory bans on imports of certain goods from Poland and Hungary if they do not lift their unilateral bans.
"I am warning the Ukrainian authorities, because if they escalate the conflict in this way, we will add more products to the import ban on the territory of the Republic of Poland," replied Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Morawiecki said that Warsaw is ready to help Kyiv, but "not at the cost of destabilizing the Polish market."
Ukrainian trade representative Taras Kachka said today that he believes that a compromise is possible in the trade dispute with the neighbors and that he expects the situation to be "balanced" by Friday.
He said earlier today that he does not think that Ukraine will introduce an embargo on Polish apples and vegetables.
Polish Minister of Agriculture Robert Telus told the state news agency PAP that he interprets Kaczka's comments as a way of "calming the atmosphere he has created in recent days."
Duda: Ukraine is a drowning man
Ukraine's foreign minister called today on Poland to "put aside emotions" in the trade dispute.
"The Ukrainian side offered Poland a constructive way to solve the grain problem," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko.
He said that the Ukrainian ambassador underlined the "pointiness" of the comparisons made by Polish President Andrzej Duda in relation to Ukraine during his visit to New York.
On Tuesday, Duda told reporters that Ukraine should keep in mind that it receives aid from Poland and compared the country to a "strangler."
"I would compare it to something like a drowning... The drowning is extremely dangerous because it can pull you into the depths... It can simply drown the rescuer," said Duda.
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