‘Never insult Poles again’: Warsaw warns Zelensky after his UNGA speech

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has warned his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky never to slander Poland on the world stage again.

Poland, along with Hungary and Slovakia, slapped a ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect farmers from a surge of grain and food imports from Ukraine, after the war in Ukraine blocked the country’s export routes via Black Sea ports.

Ukraine’s actor-turned-president Vladimir Zelensky, speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, complained that “some of our friends in Europe play out solidarity in a political theater, turning the issue of grain into a thriller,” thus giving hope to Russia.

Poland reacted to Zelensky’s speech by summoning the Ukrainian ambassador to Warsaw, Vasyl Zvarych, on Friday.

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Poland’s foreign ministry said it had “conveyed the Polish side’s strong protest against the statements made by President V. Zelensky at the UN General Assembly yesterday, alleging that some EU countries feigned solidarity while indirectly supporting Russia.”

The Polish prime minister also reiterated Warsaw’s outrage over Zelensky’s remarks, warning Kiev “never to insult Poles again.”

“I want to tell President Zelensky never to insult Poles again, as he did recently during his speech at the UN,” Morawiecki told a crowd at a rally in the city of Swidnik on Friday.

“The Polish people will never allow this to happen, and defending the good name of Poland is not only my duty and honor, but also the most important task of the Polish government,” Morawiecki insisted.

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Morawiecki pointed out that the Polish government will stand up for its interests “in the current geopolitical context.”

The trade dispute unfolded after Warsaw refused to lift the ban on Ukrainian grain, citing the need to protect its farmers from the influx of cheap products from abroad. Kiev, meanwhile, launched a complaint to the World Trade Organization, insisting that the restrictions imposed by Poland were illegal.

The issue is particularly sensitive because Poland is a crucial logistics hub for the deliveries of foreign weapons to Ukraine and hosts the training of Ukrainian soldiers.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has described Kiev as “a drowning man,” who risks dragging under the water those trying to rescue him. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko, in turn, urged Warsaw to “put aside their emotions” and focus on finding a “constructive path” to resolve their dispute.

In the meantime, many Western leaders have become irritated by Zelensky’s continuous demands, pushing for a stop to the supply of money, weapons and munitions for Kiev.

Ahead of Zelensky’s visit to the UN, many Western leaders had declared their opposition to continued support for Kiev. Opponents of Zelensky say it is not in their interests to send their nations’ much-needed cash to Ukraine in the form of financial aid, weapons and munitions.

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