Poland has helped Ukraine and will help Ukraine, but there will be no permission for attempts to pressure us; we must protect our citizens, our farmers, our food producers – stressed the deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Paweł Jabłoński in Polsat News, speaking about the issue of Ukrainian grain. In turn, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal called for an “expert dialogue” at a meeting of the Ukrainian government on Friday.
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Shmyhal: An unfriendly and populist move
The EU import ban on wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia is in effect until September 15. The transit of grains through the territory of these countries is allowed.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that if the European Commission does not extend the import ban on grain from Ukraine to these five countries, Poland will close the border to these goods.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal referred to this announcement on Twitter.
Russia has torn down the grain initiative, destroyed the infrastructure of our Black Sea ports and created another global food crisis. During this critical period, Poland intends to continue the blockade of Ukrainian grain exports to the EU. This is an unfriendly and populist move that will have serious consequences for the global food security and economy of Ukraine. We call on our partners and the EU Commission to ensure unimpeded export of all Ukrainian food products to the EU. This is an act of solidarity not only with Ukraine, but also with the world that depends on our grain
Shmyhal wrote.
“We will not agree to any pressure, any blackmail”
The deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked how the government received the statement from the Prime Minister of Ukraine. Jabłoński replied that in his opinion these words were very unreasonable.
These kind of aggressive tweets are not helping our relationship
he noticed.
He stressed that Poland has done a lot to help Ukraine, but it is doing so “as far as it is good for Poland”.
Above all, we pursue our national interest, we care about our safety. And there are cases – no one is hiding it – where we have different perspectives. We will talk about it, but we will certainly not agree to any pressure, to any blackmail, to any attempt to turn against the countries that are helping Ukraine.
- he said.
“We do it because it is in the interests of Poland’s security.”
The deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Poland is the country that helps Ukraine the most.
We do this because it is in the interest of Polish security and we will continue to do so as long as it is in the interest of Polish security
he stressed.
But, as he noted, “there will be no permission for attempts to pressure us. We must protect our citizens, our farmers, our food producers.”
Jabłoński noted that the Polish government has nothing against the transit of Ukrainian grain through Poland, provided it goes where it is supposed to go – that is, to countries outside the EU that import this grain.
We do not agree with an uncontrolled opening of our market
he said.
As he stressed, this is also an EU issue, because Poland has obligations in the EU, including on the protection of the agricultural market.
The deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been asked whether talks are underway to get out of this situation.
We are talking on many levels, because this is first and foremost an EU matter, next week there will be a council of agriculture ministers, there was also (…) a meeting with the ministers of the most vulnerable countries. We also communicate with the Ukrainian side
he answered.
He expressed the hope that this communication will continue in the spirit of mutual understanding, “without aggressive tweets or other social media, because it does not build trust, especially as we approach Ukraine with great openness.” He judged that it takes ill will “to pretend it doesn’t exist”.
“We offer collaboration and expert dialogue”
The issue of grain was present at the meeting of the Ukrainian government today. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal called on Poland for a dialogue with experts in connection with the announcements of the closure of grain exports across the Polish border. He addressed the “brother Poland” and said: “Your support during the Russian aggression is extraordinary. We will never forget it and we will always be grateful for it. You are always the first to support Ukraine. You understand better than anyone that Ukraine is now a shield that will not let Russian barbarians into Europe.”
He then added:
In a situation where Russia has broken the grain deal, in the face of a possible global food crisis, I call on the Poles to lend a helping hand to Ukraine and drive Russia into a dead end. We propose cooperation and expert dialogue instead of slogans and short-term political gain
Shmyhal said.
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aja/PAP
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.