Poland on Wednesday warned it might impose extra bans on Ukrainian meals merchandise if the continued dispute over grain imports escalates additional, as Warsaw takes a more durable stance within the lead-up to the October elections.
Poland has been certainly one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies since Russia invaded the nation in February 2022, however the nations at the moment are embroiled in a deepening battle over agricultural imports since Poland, together with Hungary and Slovakia, prolonged a ban on grain imports from their war-torn neighbor.
A World Commerce Group (WTO) spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that Ukraine had taken step one in a commerce dispute by submitting a criticism to the worldwide commerce physique.
He didn’t identify the nations though Kyiv has beforehand mentioned the criticism focused Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
Additionally on Tuesday, Ukraine mentioned it will impose retaliatory import curbs on sure items from Poland and Hungary if they didn’t raise their unilateral bans, drawing a response from Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“I warn the Ukrainian authorities, as a result of in the event that they escalate this battle on this manner, we are going to add extra merchandise to the ban on import into the territory of the Republic of Poland,” Morawiecki instructed Polsat Information.
Poland, Slovakia and Hungary introduced curbs on grain imports from Ukraine on Friday after the European Fee determined to not lengthen a ban on gross sales into Ukraine’s 5 EU neighbors, which additionally embody Romania and Bulgaria.
The ban was launched to guard farmers there from a surge of grain and meals imports from Ukraine because the invasion largely blocked its favored routes by way of Black Sea ports.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday mentioned if Ukraine filed the criticism, Poland would clarify the state of affairs earlier than the tribunal.
He underscored that the ban regarded imports however not transit of Ukrainian grain.
“There are enterprise circles which have pursuits in Ukraine and want to promote grain as rapidly as doable on the lowest doable price. We have now to defend ourselves in opposition to it,” he instructed reporters in New York following an deal with to the United Nations Normal Meeting.
“I might evaluate it to one thing like a drowning particular person… A drowning particular person is extraordinarily harmful as a result of he can pull you to the depths … He can merely drown the rescuer.”
‘Political theatre’
Poland will maintain parliamentary elections on Oct. 15 and the ruling nationalist Legislation and Justice (PiS) get together is dealing with a problem from the far proper, which accuses it of being too comfortable towards Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned in an deal with to the U.N. Normal Meeting that Kyiv was “working laborious to protect the land routes for grain exports” and that the “political theatre” round grain imports was solely serving to Moscow.
His feedback weren’t acquired nicely in Warsaw.
“President Zelenskyy went a number of sentences too far,” Inside Minister Mariusz Kaminski instructed personal broadcaster Radio Zet on Wednesday.
In a reside broadcast on Fb, Morawiecki mentioned that Warsaw was prepared to assist Kyiv however “not on the worth of destabilizing the Polish market.”
Duda mentioned Ukraine ought to do not forget that it receives assist from Poland.
“It could be good for Ukraine to do not forget that it receives assist from us and to do not forget that we’re additionally a transit nation to Ukraine,” he famous.
On the Ukrainian facet, Commerce Consultant Taras Kachka appeared to maneuver to ease tensions, telling Polish personal broadcaster RMF FM that he didn’t assume that Kyiv would introduce an embargo on Polish apples and greens.
Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus instructed state-run information company PAP that he took Kachka’s feedback as a manner of “calming down a sure environment that had been constructing for 2 or three days.”
