Kyiv says Ukraine, Poland 'don't need this grain war'

KYIV: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said an escalating grain exports dispute between Kyiv and Warsaw was detrimental to both countries, in an interview published Thursday.

Poland has extended an embargo on Ukrainian grain, going against a European Commission decision to end the restrictions and triggering a diplomatic spat between the allies.

“We have conveyed clear signals to Poland about our commitment to a constructive solution to this situation. We don’t need this grain war and neither does Poland,” Kuleba told Interfax-Ukraine.

He warned the row could worsen as “emotions are running high” ahead of the Polish elections on October 15.

Poland’s populist right-wing government has strong support in agricultural regions and has presented the ban as protecting Polish farmers.

Kuleba said the grain issue would eventually be solved but cautioned against the long-term consequences of stoking tensions.

“The fact that the narrative about the ungratefulness of Ukraine and Ukrainians is planted in the heads of Polish people can have extremely negative consequences for security,” Kuleba said.

He called allegations of ingratitude an “outright lie.”

“Ukraine is very sincerely and deeply grateful to the Polish people and the Polish government,” he said.

Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters since Russia sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022 and is one of Kyiv’s main weapons suppliers.