Duda: Grain supply dispute to not affect Ukrainian-Polish relations

Polish President Andrzej Duda said that the dispute over the supply of Ukrainian grain to the Polish market would not significantly affect good bilateral relations.

He said this at a business conference, Reuters quoted him as saying.

At the same time, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on Zelenskyy to "never offend Poles again", as he did at the UN General Assembly.

During his speech at the UN General Assembly, Zelenskyy criticised Poland for imposing a grain embargo.

He said that Ukraine was making every effort to preserve land routes for grain exports, but "it is worrying how some of our friends in Europe are playing out solidarity in the political theatre, creating a thriller with grain."

"It may seem like they are playing their own role, but instead, they are helping to set the stage for the Moscow actor," he added.

Moravetsky responded: "I want to tell President Zelenskyy never to insult Poles again, as he recently did during his speech at the UN, Poles will never allow it. [...] We will defend all our rights in the current geopolitical context, and we know how these rights should be defined."

On September 23, Bloomberg quoted an anonymous US defence official as saying that the US was demanding clarification from Poland on its support for Ukraine after Morawiecki's statement about stopping arms supplies. Earlier, Duda said that these words were misinterpreted. He was referring to new weapons that Poland is currently buying as it modernises its army.

Jarosław Kaczyński, the Vice Prime Minister of Poland and leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, also announced his continued support for Ukraine. He added that the "sad situation" surrounding the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain did not change Poland's attitude towards Ukraine.

Photo: Alina Smutko | Reuters