The Ukrainian government has decided that Ukrainian politicians will boycott international events in Poland to protest Poland’s stance on continuing the embargo on Ukrainian grain, according to a post from Ukrainian MP Mykola Kniazhytsky.
Kniazhytsky, who is a journalist, politician, and co-chairman of the Ukrainian-Polish interparliamentary group, wrote that the Ukrainians are protesting Poland’s support for the continuation of the grain embargo sanctioned by the EU. He stated that “this stance is in part a result of pre-election populism in Poland.”
The Ukrainian deputy writes that the matter is serious because as part of Ukraine’s boycott, Ukrainian authorities are blocking travel by politicians who wanted to use trips to Poland to defend Ukraine’s stance. Kniazhytsky calls the ban on travel by Ukrainian deputies into Poland illegal.
He added that as co-chairman of the Ukrainian-Polish inter-parliamentary group, he is convinced that these actions by the Ukrainian authorities are a “serious error,” which can only “strengthen anti-Ukrainian voices in Polish politics.”
He appeals for “dialog and cooperation in order to protect Ukraine and Europe from Russian aggression rather than provoking conflicts that delight Russia.”
Last week, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said that Poland, Hungary and three other countries calling for the extension of the embargo on Ukraine, are behaving in an “unacceptable” manner, and Kyiv appealed to the EU to put forward a “sustainable solution.”
