Nothing is going well between kyiv and Warsaw. Poland no longer wants to supply weapons to Ukraine to help it fight Russia. She prefers… to keep them for herself.
Surprise statement, Wednesday, September 20, on television from the Polish Prime Minister that no one expected in this area. “We are no longer transferring any weapons to Ukraine”has says Mateusz Morawiecki, we first focus on modernizing our army.
Yet Poland was one of Ukraine’s largest arms suppliers. VShe radical change of course looks a lot like a retaliatory measure, at a time when the grain issue is poisoning relations between kyiv and several European countries.
:quality(50)/2023/09/21/27290-650c0bc7a762d152262448.jpeg)
A brutal way to end the debates
Poland, like other neighboring countries of Ukraine, refuses to see wheat, corn or rapeseed much cheaper than its own flood into its market. To protect farmers, Brussels had banned the import of Ukrainian cereals into its territory.
But on Friday September 15, the Commission lifted this ban. Anger of the capitals concerned which decide to continue to impose a blockade on Ukrainian cereals. kyiv is outraged and responds on Monday by filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization. The sauce obviously continues to rise. Tuesday, at the UN podium, Volodymyr Zelensky denounces “certain countries that feign solidarity with Ukraine”. Warsaw, which feels targeted, then threatens on Wednesday to expand the list of Ukrainian products banned from import and urgently summons the Ukrainian ambassador. This announcement on arms deliveries is a brutal way to end the debate.
For the most powerful land army in Europe
Beyond these discussions, it is true that Poland is seeking to increase its defense capabilities. Since the start of the conflict, it has embarked on a forced rearmament, mainly with the United States. The signing of agreements continues, like last week for this delivery of 486 Himars rocket launcher modules, for an amount estimated at 10 billion dollars.
Warsaw does not hide it, its objective is to devote 4% of its GDP to its defense to have “within two years, the most powerful land army in Europe”. We know that the Kremlin leadership has decided to rebuild the Russian Empire, says Polish Defense Minister. “We want to create an army that can truly deter the aggressor and play a leading role on NATO’s eastern flank.”
In the meantime, this change of heart on the weapons issue risks weakening Ukraine in its fight against Russia.