WARSAW – Poland’s top minister stated his nation is now not sending arms to Ukraine, a remark that gave the impression aimed toward pressuring Kyiv and put Poland’s standing as a significant supply of army apparatus unsure as a trade dispute between the neighboring states escalates.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated in an interview past due on Wednesday that Poland is now not shifting guns to Ukraine. He made the remark as his populist birthday celebration faces power from a far-right birthday celebration in a countrywide election on Oct. 15. The far-right birthday celebration, Confederation, says Poland is no longer getting the gratitude it merits for arming Ukraine and accepting its refugees.
“We are no longer transferring any weapons to Ukraine because now we will arm ourselves with the most modern weapons,” Morawiecki said in an interview on Polsat, a private television broadcaster. The prime minister then spoke of a military modernization plan underway, spurred by fears of Russian aggression in the region.
A government spokesman, Piotr Mueller, appeared to confirm Thursday that Warsaw would not agree to more military aid. He said the country was now only providing supplies of ammunition and armaments that had previously been agreed to, noting that “a series of absolutely unacceptable statements and diplomatic gestures appeared on the Ukrainian side.”
Poland has supplied Ukraine with a wide range of weaponry, including Leopard 2 tanks and Soviet-era MiG fighter jets.
A leading security and defense expert, Michal Baranowski, said that Poland gave most of what it could give earlier in the war, and with no plans for shipments of major equipment soon he doesn’t see a threat to Ukraine’s capabilities in the near term. Still, he considers the comments as troubling for Ukraine as its seeks to maintain Western support in the war unleashed by Russia.
“The message is very bad, both for Poland’s reputation but also because Poland has been one of the chief advocates of military aid to Ukraine. Saying Poland will not be sending more weapons means that Poland can no longer play this role,” said Baranowski, managing director of Warsaw-based GMF East, part of the German Marshall Fund think tank.
He said Poland’s attempt to show toughness toward Kyiv should be understood in the context of the election campaign. In response to Morawiecki saying Poland would now focus on modernizing its own forces, Baranowski noted that Poland is capable of both modernizing its military and continuing to help Ukraine.
Donald Tusk, a top opposition leader, accused Morawiecki and other ruling authorities of a “moral and geopolitical scandal of stabbing Ukraine in the back politically when they decide to fight on the Ukrainian front, just because it will be profitable for their campaign.”
Emotions were working prime after Poland, Hungary and Slovakia closing week introduced a brand new ban on Ukrainian grain imports, announcing they sought after to give protection to their farmers from a glut of Ukrainian grain of their markets. The grain lowers costs for native farmers and hurts their livelihood. Kyiv replied with a grievance on the World Trade Organization in opposition to the 3 international locations that sparked much more indignant reactions from Poland.
Polish and Ukrainian agriculture ministers stated Thursday they had been operating to unravel the location in some way that takes the pursuits of each international locations into consideration. Meanwhile, Ukraine was once lifting its grievance in opposition to Slovakia as the 2 facets sought a solution, Slovak government stated Thursday.
At the United Nations on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy prompt that the international locations opposing Ukraine on grain had been in reality operating on Russia’s behalf. Poland urgently summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to bitch on Wednesday.
Morawiecki within the Polsat interview stated that Poland would no longer take steps to threaten Ukraine’s safety.
He stated a NATO and U.S. hub within the Polish town of Rzeszow used for transporting guns into Ukraine would no longer be affected. “We are not going to risk the security of Ukraine,” he stated.
A senior U.S. executive reputable instructed journalists in Brussels on Thursday that the United States does no longer view Morawiecki’s statements as an indication of Western cohesion cracking and expects to see endured management from Poland within the effort to lend a hand Ukraine.
The reputable famous that “each country that’s contributing to Ukraine has its own domestic politics and that’s just a reality. Some of these countries are in the middle of election cycles, so they’re also in the middle of messaging their publics.” The official requested anonymity to speak to reporters on the subject.
The German Foreign Ministry said Thursday that “we have taken note of the statement from the Polish side.”
The ministry added that “Ukraine continues to need our full support. It is important that we in Europe act decisively and in solidarity in this regard. Germany will support Ukraine humanitarianly, politically, economically and with weapons for as long as it needs us.”
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Associated Press writers Lorne Cook in Brussels, Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this file.