Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki's response came as the Ukrainians summoned Warsaw's envoy over comments by a senior presidential staffer who suggested that Kiev should be more grateful for huge sums of foreign aid.
Morawiecki responded in a Twitter post on Tuesday, saying the decision to recall the Polish ambassador "should never have happened", recalling his country's support for Ukraine since the conflict with Russia erupted last year.
"In international politics, in the face of the ongoing war, and considering the huge support that Poland has given to Ukraine, such mistakes should not happen"
said the Prime Minister.
"We will always protect the good name and security of Poland, and the interests of no other country will ever prevail over the interests of the Republic of Poland."
The prime minister's post came hours after Ukraine's foreign ministry summoned Polish ambassador to Kyiv Bartosz Cichocki to discuss recent statements made by Marcin Przydacz, head of the international policy office of the Polish presidential administration.
Speaking to Polish broadcaster TVP, Przydacz defended Poland's ban on Ukrainian grain imports, arguing that
"Ukraine should start appreciating the role that Poland has played for Ukraine in recent months and years."
The Ukrainian government reacted negatively to the comments, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko saying that "statements about the alleged ingratitude of Ukrainians for the help of the Republic of Poland do not reflect reality and, as such, are unacceptable."
The deputy head of Ukraine's presidential administration, Andriy Sibiha, also condemned the "baseless claims" that Kiev does not appreciate its neighbor's help.
Polish Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski rejected criticism from Kiev and insisted that his country's policy is guided by Polish interests, while emphasizing the large amount of aid given to Ukraine over the past year.
As the European Union previously reduced quotas and tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural exports during the conflict with Moscow to support the country's economy, cheap grain has flowed into the EU's common market, prompting protests from Eastern European farmers. Five members of the bloc, including Poland, initially increased restrictions on Ukrainian grain, but the EU as a whole later followed suit and ordered an official ban.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Brussels to lift restrictions by September 15, calling the policy "anti-European", while Prime Minister Denis Smihal also called Poland's stance "unfriendly and populist".
Featured image: AFP
