Tension increases between Poland, Ukraine

WARSAW

Poland, after facing criticism from Ukraine for failing to adhere to the EU's choice to remove a grain embargo on Ukraine, recently declared it will refrain from providing additional weaponry to Ukraine in response to the objections.

Relations have reached a breaking point with Warsaw, which has been defending and supporting its neighbor against Russia.

Since the beginning of the war with Russia that began in February 2022, Poland has been a significant ally and weaponry supplier for Kyiv. Warsaw has also been hosting almost 2 million Ukrainian refugees.

But relations have broken down because of increasing disputes concerning Ukrainian grain.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced his country decided to prioritize its defense and, as a result, will cease arms shipments to Ukraine in a statement on Sept. 20.

Poland had sent more than 300 tanks, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-air missile systems, self-propelled artillery systems, air-to-air missile systems, drones, portable air defense systems, ammunition, howitzers and over 40,000 helmets to Ukraine.

The decision by Poland came after Volodymyr Zelenskyy's speech earlier this week at the UN General Assembly when he accused segments of Europe of allowing grain exports to benefit Russia.

After the closure of previously used Black Sea shipping routes following the start of the war, EU territories had become a crucial transit route and export point for Ukrainian grain.

In May, the EU imposed import restrictions on Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia to protect local farmers from falling prices.

The measures allowed transit through the five countries but prevented products from being sold on the local market.

But on Sept. 15, the EU Commission announced the end of the import ban and claimed that market distortions in the five member countries bordering Ukraine had been eliminated.

Poland, Hungary and Slovakia had announced their opposition to the decision.

Zelenskyy expressed “worrying” concern in his speech that some in Europe “play solidarity in a political theater.”

"Although they may appear to be playing their own roles, they are actually helping a Moscow actor take the stage," he said.

Zelenskyy's remarks led to an angry response from Poland, and Ukraine's ambassador to Warsaw was summoned to the Foreign Ministry.

The most significant development causing problems for Poland was Ukraine's complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against countries that did not buy grain from Ukraine.

Prime Minister Morawiecki made two important statements Sept. 20, when he warned Ukrainian officials.

"I am warning Ukrainian authorities that if they escalate the conflict in this way, we will add more products to the import ban on Polish soil,” he told Polsat News.

"We are no longer sending any weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming ourselves with the most modern weapons,” he said later that day.

As Poland approaches parliamentary elections Oct. 15 and a four-question referendum, some circles on social media are supporting the actions, while others are accusing the government of adopting populist approaches ahead of elections.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul