Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Friday issued a stern warning to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, telling him “never again to insult the Polish people” following Zelenskiy’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly.
The fallout arose over disagreements over grain exports, with Zelenskiy suggesting in a speech that Poland and other European countries had “made a thriller out of grain.” according to To The Hill.
“I want to tell President Zelenskiy never again to insult Poles like he did in his recent speech at the United Nations,” Morawiecki said at Friday’s rally, The Hill reported. “The Polish people will never allow something like this to happen. Defending Poland’s honor is not only my duty and honor, but also the most important task of the Polish government.”
“Political Theater” After UN remarks, Polish Prime Minister tells Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, “I will never insult Poles again” https://t.co/LyLCL2PLCA pic.twitter.com/yt5lB2MNol
— The Hill (@thehill) September 23, 2023
Relations between Poland and Ukraine, once close allies, have fallen to their lowest ebb as a result of the conflict, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Many European countries have banned grain imports from Ukraine to protect local farmers. Despite the EU’s decision to suspend the ban, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have chosen to keep it in place, sparking protests and lawsuits from Ukraine, the paper noted.
During his visit to the United States in September, President Zelensky specifically appealed to Chairman Kevin McCarthy for additional aid to Ukraine as the government shutdown deadline approaches, The Hill reported. (Related: Zelenskyy appeared at the United Nations and talked about, you guessed it, climate change)
President Andrzej Duda of Poland Likened to He said Ukraine was killing “drowning people” in its fight against Russia and negatively impacting those trying to help them. In response, President Morawiecki announced that Poland would stop supplying weapons to Ukraine.
