Senior Polish Diplomat Admits Crack In Ties With Kiev Over Accusations Of Ungratefulness

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd August, 2023) Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski admitted on Wednesday that his country's ties with the ally Ukraine had been strained by a recent diplomatic row, in what can be seen as a sign of a further crack in their relations that have grown strained over unchecked Ukrainian food exports to Europe.

Warsaw summoned the top Ukrainian envoy in the country on Wednesday after Kiev called the Polish ambassador in on Monday to complain about remarks made by the Polish president's top foreign policy adviser Marcin Przydacz, who accused Ukraine of being ungrateful for all the help Poland had given it over the past months and years.

"We will give our assessment of the state of our relations today. They are unfortunately not the best because of what some Ukrainian officials said lately. No one is hiding it. I feel that this is due to the fact that emotions have been unfortunately running high," Jablonski told RMF FM radio.

The deputy foreign minister also conceded that Warsaw and Kiev did not see eye to eye on several issues but insisted that the Polish foreign policy would continue to be guided by national interest and that it would be helping Ukraine as long as its national interest was protected.

Warsaw and Kiev have been at odds over duty-free Ukrainian agri-food exports to the European Union, which undercut food prices in neighboring EU countries, prompting Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian grain. Kiev condemned the move.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to social media on Tuesday night to warn Poland against allowing "political trends or personal ambitions" to undermine their unity.

"We greatly appreciate the historical support of Poland, which together with us has become a real shield of Europe from sea to sea. And there cannot be a single crack in this shield. We will not allow any political instants to spoil the relations between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, and emotions should definitely cool down," he wrote.