Polish President compares Ukraine to 'a drowning person' amid row

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Financial Times + Agencies
20 Sep 2023 18:35
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The Polish President describes Ukraine as "behaving like a drowning person clinging to anything available" amid grain row.

Polish President Andrzej Duda, in Warsaw, Poland, on February 6, 2018 (AP Photo)

The Financial Times (FT) reported that Polish President Andrzej Duda compared on Tuesday Ukraine to a drowning person clutching to their savior and risking their life.

Duda told Polish journalists in New York that "Ukraine is behaving like a drowning person clinging to anything available."

"A drowning person is extremely dangerous, capable of pulling you down to the depths . . . simply drown the rescuer," he added.

🇺🇦🇵🇱 “Ukraine is like a drowning man who will drag down those who are trying to help him.”

— Andrzej Duda, Polish President pic.twitter.com/SV4IJxGNbO
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) September 20, 2023

Poland spearheaded a group of central and eastern European nations that maintained a ban on Ukrainian grain imports, although the European Union agreed last week to lift it.

In May, the EU agreed to restrict imports to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, seeking to protect farmers there who blamed the imports for a drop in prices on local markets.

The measures allowed the products to keep transiting through the five countries but stopped them from being sold on the local market.

"We have the right to defend ourselves against harm being done to us," Duda stressed.

The Polish President's statements come ahead of the October 15 parliamentary elections in the country, as his right-wing ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, previously a staunch Kiev ally, has seen its popularity dwindle, particularly among rural voters dissatisfied with Warsaw's policies, according to the Financial Times.

But during its campaign, the PiS committed to maintaining Polish sovereignty and backed farm protectionism, a marked change from last year, when it led Western efforts to assist Ukraine in its fight against Russia, the news website noted.

Originally, Warsaw also supported the EU's decision to eliminate tariffs on Ukrainian grain when the war began in 2022 and welcomed millions of refugees fleeing the conflict.

The Financial Times quoted Janusz Kowalski, Poland’s deputy agriculture minister, as saying that Kiev should look at "the whole picture" and be more mindful of rising refugee weariness in Poland, which has aided the far-right Confederation party's popularity.

The Confederation party accuses the government of being overly accommodating to Ukrainians who have settled in Poland.

Kowalski pointed out that "the Ukrainians are doing things that are against their interest, like for example to fight with Poland and try to convince the European Union to open our market."

"When we look at the whole picture, not only agriculture, it is not in their interest because the crisis of Polish agriculture will lead to the erosion of social support to help Ukraine," he indicated.

Warsaw is now unlikely to prolong the existing level of assistance to about 1 million Ukrainian refugees beyond 2024. The spokesperson for the Polish government Piotr Muller confirmed on Monday that "these regulations will simply expire next year."

Following huge protests staged by farmers last spring in reaction to a grain surplus on local markets, the Polish government shifted course and imposed an import ban.

Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki cautioned that Warsaw would ban additional Ukrainian imports if Kiev were to escalate their conflict over the grain embargo.

He issued the warning after Ukrainian Deputy Trade Minister Taras Kachka told Poland's Rzeczpospolita daily that his country would introduce a ban on Polish products in the coming days.

"I am warning Ukraine's authorities. Because if they are to escalate the conflict like that, we will add additional products to the ban on imports into Poland," Morawiecki told Polsat News television.

Kiev on Monday said it had filed lawsuits at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against its three EU neighbors -- Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary -- over their bans on Ukrainian grain imports.

"Ukrainian authorities do not understand the degree to which Poland's farming industry has been destabilized. We are protecting Polish farmers," Morawiecki said.

He continued, "We were the first to do a lot for Ukraine and that's why we expect for them to understand our interests."

"Of course, we respect all of their problems, but for us, the interests of our farmers are the most important thing," the Polish Premier made it clear.

According to the Financial Times, the grain row is also influencing the election campaign in Slovakia, where former premier Robert Fico's nationalist Smer party, which opposes more aid to Ukraine, is topping surveys ahead of the September 30 vote.

Poland summons Ukraine envoy over Zelensky remarks

In the same context, Poland announced on Wednesday it had summoned Kiev's ambassador over remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the UN that came amid the grain row.

Zelensky said some countries faked solidarity with Ukraine, prompting Warsaw to denounce comments "unjustified concerning Poland, which has supported Ukraine since the first days of the war."

In a statement, the Polish Foreign Ministry said that "putting pressure on Poland in multilateral forums or sending complaints to international courts are not appropriate methods to resolve differences between our countries."

Ukraine responded by calling on Poland to "leave emotion aside" after it had summoned its ambassador, urging Warsaw to adopt a "constructive" approach in the dispute.