How can we understand the current situation between Poland and Ukraine? Are our “honeymoons” over? Are there cracks in the relationship between friendly countries? Because while it is clear that we will support Kiev in the war with Russia, the number of issues that need to be clarified is growing. How many of these will be resolved through a one-on-one conversation between Andrzej Duda and Volodymyr Zelensky, scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday) on the sidelines of the general debate of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York ?
The issue of the Polish blockade (and the end of the EU blockade) on agricultural products from Ukraine is escalating unpleasantly. When we hear from the head of the government in Kiev that global arbitration should force Poland to open the market and thus push our farmers against the wall, things start to get dangerous. When Deputy Minister of Economy and Agriculture Taras Kaczka repeats these announcements, we are sure someone wants to blow things up. Not necessarily fair.
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When Polish Ambassador Bartosz Cichocki was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiev for a trivial reason, let us remind you that he was the only one who did not leave after the Russian aggression, we talked about it with President Andrzej Duda in the weekly magazine “Sieci”.
“Sieci” Weekly: So someone in Kiev lost his nerve in a moment of weakness?
President Andrzej Duda: There are several interesting games. There is also politics going on in Ukraine, there is also internal political competition. We don’t always see everything.
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The issue of Ukraine’s internal policies is often completely ignored in Poland. There, as Andrzej Duda recalled, there is a dispute and a game of factions. Named Taras Kaczka is a man of the previous president Petro Poroshenko, so a politician who was set at a time when there was no friendliness in relations between Warsaw and Kiev. To put it bluntly: we are deceived regularly, at various levels, including at the highest level.
Ukrainian society, even in times of war, is not a unit that Volodymyr Zelensky supports unconditionally. He also has his enemies, and I have no doubt that messengers from wealthy Western countries are reaching Kiev in large numbers, promising unrealistic things to the weary defenders. Some countries, which should not surprise us, want to negotiate reconstruction issues without Poland, although our location makes this in principle impossible. But why don’t we try, why don’t we divide, for example on the issue of grain. Moreover, it is an incomprehensible game without fundamental fairness, because some Ukrainian politicians run to Brussels and shout that the transit of grain through Poland is not possible. IT’S NOT TRUE!
Speaking to journalists in New York today, the head of the President’s Office of International Policy drew attention to something important. We are talking about about 50 million tons of agricultural products that the Ukrainians would like to send around the world. Polish ports have three times less capacity. The problem is Russia, which is blocking the Black Sea route, and the European Commission, instead of acting against the markets of European countries, should put pressure on Putin.
Poland believes that here it is necessary, first of all, to put pressure on Russia, thereby reducing economic pressure on the eastern borders of the European Union. The starting point should be activity towards Moscow
– said Marcin Przydacz. That’s right, but it can be more difficult there. It could even come to nothing and the European Commission would make a spectacular mistake and would therefore rather do nothing.
But let’s go back to Ukraine. Whispers about cracking down on Warsaw (for example on the grain issue) are an attempt to push us out of a certain whole in which everyone has their own role. Poland is Ukraine’s spokesperson in the world, and Kiev will hear it again at the UN summit in New York. And we do it not only from the heart (the so-called realists accuse the Polish president of unhealthy romanticism), it is – it must be emphasized – in our best interests. Can the presidents’ talks help cool heads and lower emotions, which today are fodder for poisoning public debate for people who do not like cooperation between Kiev and Warsaw? I don’t know, but let’s not underestimate or overemphasize the meeting between Duda and Zelensky on the grain issue. This is the policy pursued by governments. It happens that on our side there is unanimity between the Prime Minister and the President on this issue, but on the side of our partners it is not so rosy.
From a distance you can sense the behind-the-scenes games being played by Germany, which has never been particularly averse to doing business in rubles. Ukraine needs to know one thing: if there is no Poland in the state system that will create the world order after the war, perhaps there will be a place for Russia there. It seems that President Volodymyr Zelensky knows this well, but it wouldn’t hurt if Andrzej Duda reminded him of this in a private conversation on the sidelines of the UN summit in the United States.
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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.