Warsaw says it is ending its supply of weapons to Ukraine amid a dispute about a grain import ban with Kyiv.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday said his country would no longer arm Ukraine and would instead focus on its own defense.
The comments came only a few hours after Warsaw summoned Kyiv's ambassador amid a row over grain exports.
What did the Polish prime minister say?
"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.
Poland summons Ukrainian ambassador
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.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has shut down Black Sea shipping lanes that were used before the war. Russia agreed to a deal that allowed maritime exports from Ukraine but withdrew in July.
This has resulted in the EU becoming a vital transit route and export destination for Ukrainian grain.
The EU agreed to restrict imports to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia in May, with the aim of protecting farmers in those countries who complained the imports had caused a slump in prices on local markets.
The measures had meant that the products could keep transiting through the five countries but were not sold on their own markets.
However, the European Commission last week said it was ending the import ban, claiming that "the market distortions in the five member states bordering Ukraine have disappeared."
Poland, Hungary and Slovakia immediately said they would not comply, while Ukraine said it would file a complaint with the World Trade Organization.
Source: DW
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