Poland may stop Ukraine support if public opinion against it: Minister

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Sep 2023 10:33
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The Polish Minister for the European Union says Poland may stop supporting Ukraine in light of the latter's latest lawsuit with the World Trade Organization.

The Polish Minister for the European Union Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek (AFP)

The Polish Minister for the European Union, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek, stated on Wednesday that Poland might reconsider its support for Ukraine if public sentiment turns against it due to Ukraine's lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against certain EU member states.

In an interview for the RAR news agency, the Polish Minister said, "We would like to support Ukraine, but for this to be possible, we must have the support of Polish citizens on this issue. In this regard, if there is no support for such actions from the Poles, it will be difficult for us to continue to support Ukraine as we have done so far."

This is happening shortly after Ukraine took legal action against three of its European Union neighbors, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, by filing lawsuits at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over their bans on Ukrainian grain imports.

On Tuesday, the WTO informed RIA Novosti that Kiev had formally requested consultations with the organization regarding the ban on the import of Ukrainian grain into Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary.

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Last week, the Central European countries defied a recent decision by the European Commission to lift the import ban, sparking a diplomatic dispute with Ukraine, particularly Poland, which has been a staunch ally of Kiev's against Russia.

Poland warned that in case the bloc refuses to extend the ban, it would implement it unilaterally.

Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stressed the necessity of demonstrating that individual member states should not have the authority to unilaterally prohibit the import of Ukrainian goods.

"It is crucially important for us to prove that individual member states cannot ban imports of Ukrainian goods. That is why we are filing lawsuits against them," Svyrydenko said, hoping that the countries who imposed the ban would reconsider their restrictions on Ukrainian grain, which would allow both sides to avoid prolonged legal battles.

Concurrently, Kiev also underlined that Ukrainian exporters have been suffering significant losses due to the bans put in place by the EU states.

Ukraine's search for new ways to export grain comes after Russia did not renew its participation in the Black Sea grain deal, which was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey and would allow for the delivery of grain to foreign states without any issues.