Poland Warns Zelenskyy After UN Remarks

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Facts

  • Poland's PM Mateusz Morawiecki on Friday warned Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'never to insult Poles again, as he did recently during his speech at the UN.'1
  • Adding that Warsaw will defend its position in the current geopolitical context, Morawiecki said: 'The protection of Poland's good name is not only my duty and honor, it's also the most important task of the government of the Republic.'2
  • Though he didn't name Poland, Zelenskyy told the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that he was alarmed to see 'some in Europe... play out solidarity in a political theatre' by 'making a thriller from the grain' and helping 'set the stage to a Moscow actor.'3
  • Zelenskyy's' remarks came after Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland extended a ban on Ukrainian grain. A day later, Warsaw announced it would no longer send weapons to Kyiv as its focus was to defend itself.4
  • Meanwhile, Polish Pres. Andrzej Duda asserted that the simmering dispute between Poland and Ukraine over grain imports 'is an absolute fragment of the entire Polish-Ukrainian relations' and wouldn't have 'a significant impact' on their long-standing ties.5
  • Though Poland is one of Ukraine's closest allies in its war with Russia, Moscow is one of Warsaw's largest fertilizer suppliers. According to data from the UN, Poland imported Russian fertilizers worth $225.09M in 2022.6

Sources: 1Reuters, 2Ukrainska pravda, 3Politico, 4BBC News, 5Al Jazeera and 6Tradingeconomics.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Euobserver. Morawiecki's comments are driven by the upcoming Polish election. Since the far right criticizes his government's attitude to Ukraine as subservient, the Polish PM is adopting a more aggressive approach to Kyiv at the cost of shaking the country's staunch relationship with its neighbor.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Www.euractiv.com. While Warsaw will continue to support Kyiv against Russia's invasion, the Polish government is obliged to protect and safeguard its citizens against intimidation, aggression, and unfair economic competition. Zelenskky's irresponsible comments will only strain ties between the two nations.

Predictions