The Polish Prime Minister assures that Poland will still allow the transit of Western weapons.
Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki says the country will stop sending weapons to Ukraine, reports the Polish news agency PAP.
Speaking on the television channel Polsat News on Wednesday, Morawiecki said that Poland is now arming itself with newer weapons instead of sending weapons to Ukraine.
– If you want to defend yourself, you have to have something to defend yourself with, Morawiecki said.
– We follow that principle. That is why we have made a lot of new acquisitions, he continued.
Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and has been one of Kiev’s most important arms suppliers, reports the AFP news agency. There are also around one million refugees from Ukraine in Poland.
Intervals tightened due to grain restrictions
Morawiecki said Poland would help Ukraine defeat Russia’s “barbaric” attack. However, according to the prime minister, Ukrainian grain cannot be allowed to destabilize the Polish market.
– We were the first to give a lot of help to Ukraine and therefore we expect them to understand our interests, Morawiecki said.
The Prime Minister assured that Poland will continue to allow transit of Ukrainian products and Western weapons.
The relations between Poland and Ukraine have traditionally been very warm, but recently the relations have cooled due to the Ukrainian grain import ban. On Wednesday, Poland summoned Ukraine’s ambassador to Warsaw for an interview over the matter.
In June, the EU allowed Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to limit the import of Ukrainian grain into their territory, because the countries were afraid that Ukrainian grain would mess up their own markets. The limit of the restrictions expired on Friday of last week.
Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have said they will continue restrictions on grain imports, prompting Ukraine to file a case against the countries at the World Trade Organization.
The issue is particularly sensitive in Poland, where elections will be held next month. The current government has strong support in agricultural areas.
Sources: AFP