Poland, one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies, has announced the cessation of arms shipments to the country, a move that comes a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Warsaw of inadvertently aiding Russia by banning Ukrainian grain imports to safeguard the interests of Polish farmers.
Poland has played a pivotal role in supporting Ukraine since the Ukrainian conflict with Russia in February 2022 and has been one of Kyiv’s primary sources of weaponry. Additionally, it has provided state aid to approximately one million Ukrainian refugees who have sought shelter within its borders. However, recent tensions have arisen due to an escalating dispute over grain. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland announced a halt to arms shipments, citing a decision to prioritize Poland’s own defense.
“We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,” the prime minister said.
The Ukrainian conflict has disrupted Black Sea shipping routes that were vital before the conflict, leading the European Union to become a major transit and export destination for Ukrainian grain.
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 slump in prices on local markets. These measures allowed the products to continue to transit through these five countries but prevented them from being sold on the local market.
However, on Friday, the European Commission announced the end of the import ban, stating that “the market distortions in the five member states bordering Ukraine have disappeared.” Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia promptly declared their intention to defy this decision.
In his address to the United Nations, Zelenskyy suggested that their stance was hypocritical and detrimental to his country’s interests. His remarks elicited a strong response from Poland, which summoned the Ukrainian ambassador and warned of potential further retaliatory actions.
Later, Morawiecki told Polsat News television, “I am warning Ukraine’s authorities. Because if they escalate the conflict like that, we will add additional products to the ban on imports into Poland. Ukrainian authorities do not understand the degree to which Poland’s farming industry has been destabilized. We are protecting Polish farmers.”
This issue is particularly sensitive in Poland, where elections are scheduled to take place next month. The populist right-wing government of the Law and Justice Party enjoys strong support in farming regions.
“We were the first to do a lot for Ukraine, and that’s why we expect them to understand our interests,” Morawiecki told Polsat News on Wednesday. “Of course, we respect all of their problems, but for us, the interests of our farmers are the most important thing.”
Kyiv announced its intention to lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the grain decision made by Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. A spokesperson for the WTO confirmed that Ukraine had taken the initial step in a trade dispute by filing a complaint with the global trade body.
This move, in turn, was criticized by Poland’s foreign ministry, which stated that “putting pressure on Poland in multilateral forums or sending complaints to international courts are not appropriate methods to resolve differences between two countries.”
It remains to be seen how long this suspension of weapon supplies will last and whether it will lead to a resolution of the grain trade dispute between Poland and Ukraine.
