(Reuters) -Ukraine and Poland called in the ambassadors from each other’s countries on Tuesday as a dispute escalated after a foreign policy adviser to Poland’s president said Kyiv should show more appreciation for Warsaw’s support in its war with Russia.
The adviser, Marcin Przydacz, also said the Polish government must defend the interests of the country’s farmers – a reference to a ban on imports of Ukrainian commodities which will expire next month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr issued a plea for unity amid the diplomatic manoeuvring, saying there could be no “crack” in the shield that solid Polish support had provided for Ukraine.
Kyiv and Warsaw have been firm allies throughout the conflict that erupted with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. But the exchanges reflected contentious issues.
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko said the Polish ambassador was told in the meeting that statements about Ukraine’s alleged ungratefulness for Poland’s help were “untrue and unacceptable”.
“We are convinced that Ukrainian-Polish friendship is much deeper than political expediency. Politics should not call into question the mutual understanding and strength of relations between our peoples,” a Ukrainian statement said.
Poland also called in the Ukrainian ambassador to Warsaw in response to the “comments of representatives of Ukrainian authorities,” Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.
The social media post did not specify what comments it referred to.
POLITICS SOMETIMES “ABOVE UNITY”
Zelenskiy, also writing on X, said the dispute exposed “various signals that politics is sometimes trying to be above 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,” Zelenskiy wrote in English.
“We will not allow any political instants to spoil the relations between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, and emotions should definitely cool down.”
Polish media on Monday quoted Przydacz as speaking about possibly extending Poland’s import ban on Ukrainian farm produce.
“What is most important today is to defend the interest of the Polish farmer,” Przydacz was quoted as saying.
He also said: “I think it would be worthwhile for (Kyiv) to start appreciating what role Poland has played for Ukraine over past months and years.”
The European Union in May allowed Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds.
After the Russian invasion blocked Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the EU, stayed in Central Europe due to logistical bottlenecks, hitting prices and sales for local farmers.
The five countries want the ban on grain imports extended at least until the end of the year. It is to expire on Sept. 15.
Poland’s prime minister said this month that his country would not lift the ban on Sept. 15 even if the EU did not agree on its extension.
Kyiv has described the Polish decision as “unfriendly” and urged Ukraine’s partners and the European Commission to ensure the unimpeded export of all Ukrainian farm products to the EU.
The Polish foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka and Kyiv newsroom; Editing by Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson, Angus MacSwan, Alison Williams, Ron Popeski and Leslie Adler)
