Andrzej Duda made the remark at a press briefing in New York on Tuesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Earlier, the Polish president addressed the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, stating that Russian aggression in Ukraine "must end, and not be converted into a frozen war."
At the press briefing, Duda referred to the issue of the import of Ukrainian grain, the PAP news agency reported.
On Monday, Ukraine filed lawsuits against Poland, Hungary and Slovakia at the World Trade Organisation over these countries’ bans on the import of Ukrainian grain.
The Polish president said in New York: “Ukraine is under assault from Russia. Without a doubt, Ukraine is in a very difficult situation. It is doing all it can.”
He added that Poland had to ensure it was not harmed in the process, as then “Ukraine won’t receive assistance” for its fight against the Russian invasion.
Duda stated: “We must protect our interests and we’ll be doing it firmly and effectively.”
Poland has banned the import of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower, as well as related products, including rapeseed meal, until further notice, news outlets reported.
An influx of Ukrainian grain would “cause another crash on the Polish grain market,” and so the ban will “help prevent strikes and social unrest,” the Polish government said on Friday.
Duda told reporters in New York that his meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, scheduled for Tuesday, did not take place due to delays in the speeches of world leaders at the UN General Assembly.
He added that the meeting could still be held at a later date, the PAP news agency reported.
Referring to his address to the UN General Assembly, the Polish president said he had stressed that Russia’s war on Ukraine “should end with the restoration of Ukraine’s control over its internationally recognised borders.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda addresses the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, September 19, 2023. Photo: PAP/EPA/MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ
Duda stated that ending the war through “restoration of the primacy of international law” would be also optimal from the viewpoint of Poland’s national security.
“I also talked about our solidarity, about our actions, about my compatriots who provided shelter for refugees from Ukraine,” he noted.
'It is very important' that NATO 'makes decision to invite Ukraine'
During the press briefing, the Polish president also mentioned his meetings with fellow world leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Duda has held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, among others, according to officials.
He told reporters that the discussions focused on the war in Ukraine and "policy towards Russia," while the meeting with Stoltenberg also covered NATO's 2024 summit in Washington.
The Polish president said “it is very important that our alliance makes the decision to invite Ukraine to NATO.”
He stressed it was “enormously important for the security in our part of Europe.”
Later on Tuesday, Duda attended a working lunch with his Baltic counterparts: Lithuania’s Gitanas Nausėda, Latvia’s Edgars Rinkevics and Latvia’s Alar Karis.
‘Polish gov’t needs backing from public to keep supporting Ukraine’: minister
Meanwhile, Poland's Minister for European Affairs Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk said on Tuesday that Ukraine’s lawsuit against Poland at the WTO could undermine the support among the Polish public for continued assistance to Kyiv, the PAP news agency reported.
Szynkowski vel Sęk told PAP that the Polish government was “firm” about protecting the interests of farmers and that’s why it banned the import of grain from Ukraine.
He added that Ukraine’s measures, such as the WTO lawsuit, “affect the level of public support for Poland’s continued assistance to Ukraine,” as reflected in opinion polls.
The minister added such measures were “harming Ukraine itself.”
Szynkowski vel Sęk stated: “We would like to continue supporting Ukraine, but we need to have the backing of Polish citizens. And so if there is no backing from the Polish people for such assistance, it will be hard for us to keep supporting Ukraine in the same way as to date.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Wednesday is day 574 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, prezydent.pl
