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Poland’s rhetoric against Ukraine has escalated beyond a food trade dispute, with President Andrzej Duda likening the war-torn country to a drowning man clinging to his rescuer and endangering his own life.
“Ukraine is behaving like a drowning man, clinging to everything available,” Duda told Polish reporters in New York on Tuesday. “Drowning people are extremely dangerous and can pull you into the abyss… directly drowning rescuers.”
The president’s irreverent remarks came after the Poland-led Association of Central and Eastern European Countries extended unilateral restrictions on Ukrainian food imports, even as the European Union agreed on Friday to lift them.
“We have the right to protect ourselves from harm,” Duda said.
The ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) has become increasingly bellicose in its rhetoric ahead of parliamentary elections on 15 October. Jarosław Kaczyński’s right-wing party was once a staunch ally of Kyiv, but its support is declining, especially among disillusioned rural voters. from Warsaw.
During the campaign, Law and Justice pledged to defend Polish sovereignty and promote agricultural protectionism – a stark U-turn after spearheading Western efforts last year to help Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression. Warsaw also initially backed the EU’s lifting of tariffs on Ukrainian grains in the wake of a full-scale invasion by Moscow in 2022, and welcomed millions of refugees fleeing the war.
Janusz Kowalski, Poland’s deputy agriculture minister, told the Financial Times that Ukraine should consider the “big picture” and become more aware of Poland’s growing refugee fatigue, which is helping to increase opposition to the far-right Federalist support. The Federation is attacking the government for being too generous to Ukrainians settling in Poland.
“Ukrainians are doing things that go against their interests, such as fighting Poland and trying to convince the EU to open our markets,” Kowalski said. “When we look at the big picture, it’s not just agriculture, it’s not in their interest either because the agricultural crisis in Poland will lead to an erosion of social support that helps Ukraine.”
Warsaw is now unlikely to extend the current level of support it provides to around 1 million Ukrainian refugees beyond 2024. “These regulations will expire next year,” Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller said on Monday.
Daniel Seligowski, a senior researcher at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, said that Poland changed its policy towards Ukraine out of self-protection. “The Polish government will continue to support Ukraine but will not shoot itself in the foot.”
This spring, after a grain glut emerged on the local market, triggering massive farmer protests, the Polish government changed tactics and unilaterally imposed an import ban. The EU later agreed to temporarily support import restrictions aimed at ensuring that Ukrainian grain was transferred to international markets through Poland.
In addition to filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization, Kyiv has threatened to retaliate with an import ban on Polish agricultural products.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday that Warsaw was also preparing to expand the list of banned imports. “I warn the Ukrainian authorities because if they escalate the conflict in this way, we will add more products,” Morawiecki told the Polsat news channel.
Brussels lifted EU restrictions last week and Kyiv pledged to impose stricter export controls to ensure they do not negatively impact EU neighbors. Still, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have refused to lift restrictions.
The food dispute also plays a major role in Slovakia’s campaign, where former Prime Minister Robert Fico’s nationalist Smer party, which does not want to send further aid to Ukraine, is leading in opinion polls ahead of the September 30 vote.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Tuesday that the dispute would play into Russia’s hands. “It is worrying that some in Europe are showing solidarity on the political stage – turning the grain into a thriller,” he wrote on social media platform X. “They seem to be playing their part. In fact , they were helping a Moscow actor set the stage.”
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