Poland, Ukraine summon respective envoys in diplomatic 'gratitude' row

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News Website
2 Aug 2023 18:52

Diplomatic tensions between Ukraine and Poland escalate as the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summons the Polish ambassador to address "unacceptable" comments by the Polish Secretary of State.

Ukrainian Ambassador to Poland, Andrii Deshchytsia, speaks during an interview for The Associated Press in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, May 20, 2022 (AP)

Diplomatic tensions between Ukraine and Poland escalated on Tuesday as Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Polish ambassador Bartosz Cichocki to Kiev to address "unacceptable" comments made by Polish Secretary of State Marcin Przydacz, who accused Ukraine of ingratitude for the help extended by Poland.

During the meeting, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry emphasized that Przydacz's remarks about the alleged ingratitude of Ukrainians toward Poland's assistance were baseless and did not reflect reality, as stated in a press release by Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.

The controversy was sparked in an interview by the Polish Secretary of State in which Przydacz expressed support for extending an EU ban on certain Ukrainian exports, citing the importance of defending the interests of Polish farmers. He also urged Ukraine to appreciate the role played by Poland in supporting the country over recent months and years.

In response, Andrii Sybiha, the deputy head of the Ukrainian President's Office, categorically rejected Przydacz's assertions, stating that Ukraine highly values Poland's support and expresses gratitude to Poland and its allies daily. Sybiha emphasized that Ukraine's efforts to protect regional values and security are not only in the interests of their nation but also in the interests of Poland and the entire "free world", making it a mutually beneficial partnership.

In an unexpected twist, Polish authorities later announced on social media that they had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador "in connection with the statements made by representatives of the Ukrainian authorities."

In the same context, a recent report by the Washington Examiner addressed the issue of the "rude" and "ungrateful" demeanor of Ukrainian officials toward their foreign partners and supporters.

"The issue here is not that Ukraine wants to avoid painful sacrifices to its export economy. Instead, it's the manner by which Ukrainian officials are willing to exacerbate diplomatic spats without regard for the support that foreign governments have provided them. It's not just Poland that has suffered Ukraine's wrath when questions have been asked over gratitude," the report read.

Last month, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace expressed his frustration at traveling for 11 hours only to receive a list of new weapons requests from Ukraine. He humorously remarked that he is "not like Amazon."

Zelensky then responded to Wallace's comments, "I just don’t know what [Wallace] means. How else should we thank him? Well, let him write to me and tell me how I need to thank people so that we can be fully grateful. We can also wake up in the morning and thank the minister personally."