Poland and Ukraine: what's behind the clash?
A remark by the Polish prime minister taken out of context has caused an international stir. In an interview, Mateusz Morawiecki said: "We are already no longer supplying arms to Ukraine, but are equipping ourselves with the most modern weapons." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reacted with sharp criticism. Europe's press comments on the altercation in the context of the import bans on agricultural products and the election campaign in Poland.
The trump card in election campaigns
Ukraine is an opportune topic for the various parties in election campaigns, blogger Olena Monova comments in Facebook:
“It's convenient for the countries that are currently in the midst of election campaigns (and whose governments are helping us fight and win our battle) to use Ukraine as a trump card in their campaign rhetoric. I would like to emphasise once again that it is CONVENIENT for them, we are a convenient argument in the political competition to score points in elections.”
Dangerous demagogy
Le Monde criticises Poland's campaign manoeuvres:
“This festival of electoral demagogy [organised by Poland] is detestable in itself. The fact that it has led to an about-turn in the policy of support for Ukraine when Poland has been its closest ally and most enthusiastic advocate in its bid for EU accession so far is dangerous. The grain dispute could have been resolved differently, as Romania and Bulgaria have shown, which are helping Ukraine to export its wheat.”
Think beyond the elections
Using anti-Ukrainian rhetoric in the election campaign is playing with fire, Rzeczpospolita also warns:
“It is also a long-term mistake to stir up anti-Ukrainian emotions in a situation where we have one and a half million (or maybe more) migrants and refugees from Ukraine in Poland. The vast majority will stay in our country, and it is very likely that some wives and children will be joined by their husbands, making Ukrainians the largest ethnic minority in Poland. That is precisely why it is dangerous to stir up resentment, especially since emotions, once released, will last much longer than the election campaign spectacle.”
Warsaw is sidelining itself
Poland is gambling away its international influence with this dispute, political analyst Sorin Ioniță writes in Contributors:
“The dispute with Ukraine is also proof of Poland's self-marginalisation in the EU. Kyiv seems to be paying less attention to relations with Warsaw and is even prepared to sacrifice them, partly because Warsaw's influence in the EU as a supporter of Ukraine has waned. In view of the upcoming debates on EU reform, EU enlargement and reconstruction, Ukraine is now re-orienting itself towards the most important countries in the EU: Germany and France.”
More discretion needed
Postimees laments that this conflict is being played out on the global stage:
“Even if some of Morawiecki's remarks were misquoted or allegedly misinterpreted, a public dispute with one of Ukraine's most active supporters so far is very unfortunate. Nor was the UN General Assembly the best place for Ukraine to rebuke an ally. ... But under no circumstances should the Polish Prime Minister have made such a bold statement.”
Discrediting the country for a few votes
The PiS's election campaign is damaging the entire country, Polityka laments:
“By releasing that one sentence into the airwaves, Morawiecki may have done more harm to Poland than the whole grain dispute so far. ... The PiS is toying with matters of strategic importance in this election campaign: defence plans, secrets that are a gift for foreign intelligence services. And it is also toying with the very risky issue of anti-Ukrainian resentment. And now we have exposed ourselves to the criticism of global public opinion - all for the sake of this party scoring a few points with its own supporters.”
Bad timing
Too much is being made of the dispute over grain and weapons, Echo24 believes:
“But that doesn't mean the Ukrainians aren't getting on the Poles' nerves a little. ... Kyiv could definitely display a little more humility and prudent diplomacy. It was particularly foolish to start this dispute just a few weeks before the Polish elections, when the government in Warsaw can't afford to give in for fear of looking weak. The Ukrainians seem to realise that they have gone too far and are beginning to shift gears. In the coming days there are plans to meet for negotiations over grain. And the Ukrainian ambassador in Warsaw said that no one in Ukraine wants to cause problems for Polish farmers.”
Kyiv's prospects darkening
The dispute highlights long-term problems, Le Temps explains:
“No sooner had the threat to Ukraine been made than it was amended and toned down. It left too bad an impression. For now, at least, it seems unlikely that this escalation in Poland will in any way alter the course of the war in Ukraine. But perhaps the message lies elsewhere. The episode also shows how, beneath the appearance of a united Europe in the face of the Russian aggressor, national egoisms are lurking. In the face of a protracted war, this feverish outburst does not bode well for Ukraine's full accession to the EU.”
Don't fall for Putin's tricks
The allies must not fall out over the grain issue, warns Pravda:
“It's all right if we have reservations about Ukrainian grain exports. This is part of international politics and a legitimate topic of discussion. However, we must not forget who got us into this 'embarrassing mess'. ... Putin is not only using energy as a weapon, but also grain. And with this weapon he is killing three birds with one stone: crippling the Ukrainian economy, destabilising the European market and damaging relations between the Western allies. But it's up to us whether we fall for his tricks.”