Federal government facilitated
Poland probably wants to supply Ukraine with more weapons
September 22, 2023, 3:39 p.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
For months, Poland has been bothered by cheap grain from Ukraine on the European market. Then, at the UN summit in New York, Selenskyj delivered extremely harsh criticism of Warsaw. The head of government reacts promptly with a tough announcement. Poland’s president is now reinterpreting this.
Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has described the irritation surrounding a possible stop to Polish arms deliveries to Ukraine as a misunderstanding. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s statements were “interpreted in the worst possible way,” Duda told TVN24. “In my opinion, the prime minister wanted to say that we will not supply to Ukraine the new weapons that we are currently purchasing as part of the modernization of the Polish army.”
Warsaw has concluded arms deals with the USA and South Korea, among others, to purchase new tanks and howitzers. “If we receive the new weapons from the US and South Korea, we will release the weapons currently used by the Polish army. Maybe we will give them to Ukraine,” Duda said.
Morawiecki indicated on Wednesday that Poland would no longer supply weapons to Ukraine “because we are equipping ourselves with the most modern weapons.” The statement caused irritation in Brussels and Berlin. There were fears of a wedge in the pro-Ukrainian alliance, which could help Russia under Putin. Morawiecki’s move comes after months of wrangling over cheap Ukrainian grain, which is a thorn in Poland’s side on the European market, as well as recent critical statements by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the UN summit in New York, which attacked Poland’s solidarity with that of Russia Ukraine was seriously questioned.
Dispute just “an absolute fragment”
Duda also found soothing words here: “I have no doubt that the dispute over grain deliveries from Ukraine to the Polish market is an absolute fragment of the entire Polish-Ukrainian relationship,” said the Polish president at an economic conference.
The federal government expressed relief after President Duda’s intervention and expects Poland to continue providing arms support. “We assume that this solidarity will continue to be shown by Poland,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit in Berlin. It is good that Polish President Andrzej Duda has provided clarity following Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s statements.
Hebestreit emphasized that Germany, as the second largest arms supplier to Ukraine, would continue its deliveries as long as this was necessary. Like the other NATO partners, the federal government always ensures that arms deliveries are not allowed to weaken the security of its own country.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Poland has been one of Kiev’s largest supporters and arms suppliers. It is also an important transit country for weapons sent to Ukraine by other Western allies. Poland has taken in around a million refugees from its neighboring country.