We believe in victory of Ukraine, but its harmful and offensive policy will not soon be forgotten - head of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland Rau
The Polish side believes that comparisons between Poland and Russia, which have recently appeared in statements by Ukrainian politicians, are extremely offensive to Polish society.
This was announced on Twitter (X) by Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, Censor.NET reports.
"They (such statements - Ed.) lead to a deep rethinking of Polish consciousness about Ukraine and Ukrainians, not only collectively, but above all individually. In the same homes where we spontaneously accepted Ukrainian refugees, at the tables where we listened to stories about their fate, today we wonder how it is possible to mention Poles and Russians who offend Ukrainians in the same row," he writes.
Rau emphasizes that Poland, like Ukraine, has been a victim of Russian imperialism for centuries, which has tried to "conquer us, whether in 1939 in Poland or in 2022 in Ukraine, with rape, robbery, deportation and execution".
"Our government's assistance to Ukraine and Ukrainians has become possible thanks to the understanding of sympathy and sympathy for Ukraine in almost every Polish family. That is why the current policy of Ukraine is not only harmful and painful for us but above all offensive. It is difficult to assume that this will be forgotten quickly. That is why it is harmful for Ukraine. Together, we lose a lot from this. We believe in Ukraine's victory. We will not stand aside. But we will not allow our relations with Poland to be traded in the name of private wealth and foreign interests that are hostile to Poland and Ukraine," Rau emphasizes.
He also noted that it would take a titanic amount of work to restore the trust of Polish society in the goodwill of the Ukrainian authorities.
On 15 September, the European Commission refused to extend the temporary ban on imports of Ukrainian wheat, corn, sunflower seeds, and rapeseed to five EU countries neighboring Ukraine, despite the insistence of the governments of Poland and Hungary.
Following this, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia announced their decision to unilaterally block imports of Ukrainian agricultural products. The Polish news agency PAP also reported that these countries had stopped participating in the Coordination Platform, which was set up under the auspices of the European Commission to address the issue.
In response, Ukraine requested consultations with Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary regarding the rules and procedures for dispute settlement under the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In addition, Ukraine warned Poland and Hungary about imposing restrictions on imports of agricultural products from these countries.
On 21 September, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy announced that Ukraine and Poland had agreed to find a common solution to the issue of grain exports.
