Poland, Ukraine’s strongest ally, is pausing weapons delivery to Ukraine. The stated reason is that Poland needs to rearm its own troops with modern weaponry.
Poland had previously banned the import of Ukrainian grain, but had allowed its transit through its ports to other parts of the world. In response, Ukrainian President Zelensky had lashed out against Poland. Politico reportsL
Warsaw has stopped supplying weapons to Kyiv and is focusing on arming itself instead, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Wednesday, amid a dispute over Ukraine’s agricultural exports.
“We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,” Morawiecki said in an appearance on Polish television channel Polsat, according to European Pravda. “If you don’t want to be on the defensive, you have to have something to defend yourself with,” he added, insisting, though, that the move wouldn’t endanger Ukraine’s security.
The Polish President has also criticized Ukraine for the first time, comparing it to a drowning person. In this analogy, Ukraine is threatening to “pull down” any country trying to help it. The Hill details:
Polish President Andrzej Duda on Tuesday compared Ukraine’s fight for survival to that of a “drowning person” capable of bringing down those who try to help.
“Ukraine is behaving like a drowning person clinging to anything available,” Duda told Polish journalists, the Financial Times reported. “A drowning person is extremely dangerous, capable of pulling you down to the depths … simply drown the rescuer.”
Ukraine and Poland have a very complicated history together. From the Middle-Ages to 1939, large portions of Ukraine have been part of Poland, from which Ukraine developed its own identity as opposed to the Mongol-occupied Moscow. During World War II, significant numbers of Ukrainian nationalists attacked Poles and Jews, cleansing areas of what is now Western Ukraine.
After the fall of Communism, Poland decided to put aside any claims on now-Ukrainian land. It has since been a stalwart defender of Poland, providing access to its border, hosting refugees, and supplies.
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