Mr. Zelensky calls on Poland for urgent negotiations

Mr Zelensky called on Kiev and Warsaw to hold urgent talks, after Polish farmers protested against Ukrainian grain, straining relations.

"I have instructed the Prime Minister of Ukraine to hold urgent talks with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on February 15. "The sight of Ukrainian grain spilling onto the streets is not only a shocking sight. It is also proof of how dangerous emotions can become."

Mr Zelensky's comments come amid heightened tensions between Kiev and Warsaw, after Polish farmers staged a series of protests against the government's "uncontrolled" imports of Ukrainian agricultural products. Some Polish farmers even blocked and forced Ukrainian trucks to dump grain on the road at the border.

The Ukrainian president condemned the move and called on Poland to improve bilateral relations. "We must protect good neighbourliness no matter what," Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine and Poland "have a common enemy in Russia" and that the two countries "should always negotiate with each other."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks in Kiev on January 22. Photo: AFP — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks in Kiev on January 22. Photo: *AFP*

Poland was one of the countries that actively supported Ukraine when the conflict broke out in February 2022. However, the issue of cheap Ukrainian grain has affected the domestic market of Poland and some European countries. The leaders of Poland and Ukraine have also made statements criticizing each other.

Poland banned imports of Ukrainian grain under former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and maintained the ban after the new pro-EU Prime Minister Tusk took office in October 2023. The Polish Agriculture Ministry said the ban on Ukrainian agricultural imports would remain in place until the EU has specific mechanisms to protect the Polish market.

After the conflict broke out, Kiev's grain exports across the Black Sea were disrupted. The EU facilitated the movement of Ukrainian grain across the union to other countries, but some of the Ukrainian grain was stuck in Eastern European countries, severely affecting the domestic market.

The European Commission proposed in late January to extend the duty-free status of Ukrainian agricultural products for another year from June, and then introduced a number of safeguard measures that could be triggered “when absolutely necessary,” such as limiting imports of poultry, eggs and sugar. EU farmers’ groups have opposed the move, warning of further protests if EU officials do not take firm action.

Nhu Tam (According to AFP )

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