Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki clarified that Poland's primary focus has shifted towards strengthening its own defense capabilities with modern weaponry.
However, President Andrzej Duda later clarified that this decision solely affects the supply of new Polish weapons and does not impact the previously delivered military equipment.
To date, Poland has provided Ukraine with 320 Soviet-era tanks and 14 MiG-29 fighter jets, with limited additional resources available for allocation. This announcement comes at a time of heightened tensions between the two neighboring nations.
The diplomatic spat escalated when Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia extended a ban on Ukrainian grain exports. President Volodymyr Zelensky's remarks at the United Nations, characterizing these actions as political theater, further exacerbated the situation. In response to Zelensky's speech, Poland summoned Ukraine's ambassador, temporarily straining bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Morawiecki emphasized that Poland remains committed to supporting Ukraine in countering the "Russian barbarian" but cannot allow its domestic markets to be destabilized by grain imports. He also highlighted the ongoing significance of Poland's military hub in Rzeszow, which, in collaboration with the United States and NATO, plays a critical role in regional security efforts.
Poland's decision to halt the supply of new weapons stems from a significant depletion of its military equipment due to previous transfers to Ukraine. This has prompted the need for the replacement of outdated weaponry with modern alternatives produced in Western countries. (ILKHA)