Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told Volodymyr Zelensky not to “insult Poland again” after the Ukrainian president suggested Poland was stirring up drama over a dispute between the two countries over grain exports.
The Polish prime minister’s comments came after Zelensky criticized his neighbor during the United Nations General Assembly this week, after several EU countries suspended bans on Ukrainian grain earlier this year, while Poland joined Hungary and Slovakia in maintaining the ban.
The ban was originally instituted to protect local farmers who feared being undercut by Ukraine’s low grain prices. Ukraine has since filed lawsuits against all three countries over the ongoing sanctions.
Meanwhile, Zelensky offered thinly veiled criticism of Poland, which has largely supported Ukraine’s war effort, including taking in more than a million refugees from the conflict. He called the grain dispute “political theater,” saying that “some of our friends in Europe” have “made a thriller out of grain.”
Morawiecki responded to Zelensky’s comments on Friday at a rally in Swidnik, a town in southeastern Poland about 50 miles from the Ukrainian border.
“I want to tell President Zelensky not to insult Poland again, as he did recently during his speech at the UN,” he said.
The Polish prime minister’s comments came after Zelensky claimed “some of our friends in Europe” had “made a thriller out of cereal.”AFP via Getty Images
“The Polish people will not allow this to happen, and defending the good name of Poland is not only my duty and honor, but also the most important duty of the Polish government,” added the prime minister.
The ongoing tussle is a departure from previously cordial relations between Ukraine, Poland, and other former Eastern Bloc countries, which Putin may target if his war for territorial expansion succeeds.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
