Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday said his country would no longer arm Ukraine and would instead focus on its own defense.
According to international media reports, the comments came only a few hours after Warsaw summoned Kyiv’s ambassador amid a row over grain exports.
“We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,” Morawiecki said.
“Ukraine is defending itself against Russia’s brutal attack, and I understand this situation, but we will defend our country,” he said.
His comments were made in response to a question from a reporter on whether Warsaw would continue to support Kyiv despite the disagreement over food exports.
Earlier Wednesday, Poland said it summoned Kyiv’s ambassador over remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the United Nations General Assembly.
Speaking about grain exports, Zelenskyy said some nations feigned solidarity with Ukraine. Warsaw denounced his comments as “unjustified concerning Poland, which has supported Ukraine since the first days of the war.”
Poland has played a key role in arming Ukraine through its unilateral supply of military equipment such as MiG-29s and Leopard tanks and by allowing foreign allies to store and transport arms over the Polish border into Ukraine.
It was the first NATO member to pledge fighter jets to Ukraine in March this year and started to make deliveries in early April. Poland is also host to some one million Ukrainian refugees.
Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv have intensified in recent days over Poland’s ban on Ukrainian grain imports to protect the interests of its farmers.
