Ukraine's current politics 'is harmful & painful for us', says Poland amid rising tensions

Amid the escalating political row with Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau on September 21, said that the Ukrainian government's current politics "is not only harmful and painful to us, but above all offensive." In remarks delivered on Thursday, Rau condemned Ukraine's comparison of the Polish officials with the Russians, saying that drawing likeness between Poland and Russia by the Ukrainian politicians "is extremely offensive to Polish society, and it will take efforts to restore confidence," according to newspaper European Pravda. 

Such maligning statements, said the Polish foreign minister, will lead to a "deep rethinking of the Polish consciousness regarding Ukraine and Ukrainians, not only collectively, but above all, individually." Rau reminded Kyiv of its historical ties with Ukraine, as he stated that Poles "spontaneously accepted Ukrainian refugees and listened to the stories of their fate, [but] today we wonder how Poles and Russians can be mentioned in the same breath as harming Ukrainians."

'Will take a titanic amount of work to rebuild the trust': Polish FM

The Polish minister underscored that both Ukraine and Poland have been the victims of Russian imperialism for centuries. And that the Russian imperialism had harmed both nations. It "subjugated us, whether in 1939 in Poland or in 2022 in Ukraine, with rapes, robberies, deportations and executions," Rau said. 

He reiterated that help to Ukraine, militarily and financially, was possible due to the "understanding, compassion and sympathy for Ukraine" by every Pole family. And given the recent exchange of barbs, and politics between the two nations, 'it is difficult to assume that [all these remarks] will be forgotten quickly. That is why it is harmful to Ukraine. Together we are losing a lot from it," said the Polish Foreign Minister. The latter vowed that Poland "believes in the victory of Ukraine" and that it "will not stand aside" as war rages on its soil perpetrated by the invading Russian forces. 

"We will not allow our relations with Poland to be traded in the name of private fortunes and foreign interests hostile to Poland and Ukraine,"  Polish Foreign Minister Rau said in his remarks on Thursday. 

"It will take a titanic amount of work to rebuild the trust of Polish society in the good will of the Ukrainian authorities," he added. 

After instating a grain export ban, Poland announced that it would no longer supply arms to Ukraine and instead would protect its own sovereignty as threats from the neighbouring Belarus loomed large. At a UNGA speech, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly slammed the decision of its staunchest ally, saying that these are the "countries that were only pretending to support" his nation as it wages a counteroffensive to reclaim the captured territories from Russia.

The blockade of the Black Sea lanes due to Russia's war has stopped the export of Ukrainian grain to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Credit: AP

As Warsaw took offence at Zelenskyy's statement, it clarified that the Ukrainian grain import ban was imposed in order to protect Poland's own farmers. Defending the halting of supply of the modern weapons, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters in Warsaw that Poland will no longer be transferring arms to Ukraine, "as we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons." 

President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, earlier yesterday said that Morawiecki's words on halting the military assistance were taken out of context by Ukraine. While Ukraine has initiated a formal complaint against Poland to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki threatened to expand the list of banned Ukrainian products.