An employee of the Romanian grain handling operator Comvex oversees the unloading of Ukrainian cereals from a barge in the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania, on June 21, 2022. Five European Union countries will extend their ban on Ukrainian grain to protect their farmers' interests. But agriculture ministers from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania said on July 19, 2023, that food can still move through their land to parts of the world in need after Russia pulled out of a deal allowing Black Sea shipments. (PHOTO / AP)
WARSAW – Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry made a "mistake" by summoning Polish ambassador.
Given "the massive support Poland lends to Ukraine, such mistakes should not happen," Morawiecki tweeted.
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On Tuesday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned Polish Ambassador Bartosz Cichocki over a statement made by Marcin Przydacz, an aide to Polish President Andrzej Duda.
In June 2022, the EU lifted tariffs on food imports from Ukraine to help its economy, leading to complaints from farming groups in Poland and other countries. The Polish government soon started to ban the imports but allowed for their transit through the Polish territory to other markets
According to media reports, in a recent response to criticism against Poland's decision to prolong a ban on food imports from Ukraine, Przydacz said Ukraine should start appreciating the "really huge support" it has received from Poland.
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In June 2022, the EU lifted tariffs on food imports from Ukraine to help its economy, leading to complaints from farming groups in Poland and other countries. The Polish government soon started to ban the imports but allowed for their transit through the Polish territory to other markets.
In a statement published on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Przydacz's allegation of Ukrainians being ungrateful was "untrue and unacceptable."
A worker unloads wheat at a grain silo in Banha of Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, on May 16, 2022. Egypt saw a rise in food prices due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine – two main wheat exporters to Egypt. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
"We are convinced that the Ukrainian-Polish friendship is much deeper than political goals. Politics should not question the mutual understanding and strength of relations between our nations," it said.
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Poland's foreign ministry said later in the day that it also invited Ukraine's ambassador to the ministry, over "statements made by representatives of the Ukrainian authorities."