Ukraine summoned the Polish ambassador on Tuesday over “unacceptable” comments made by a senior official in the Polish president’s office, who said Ukraine was ungrateful for the country’s help.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Polish ambassador Bartosz Cichocki to Kyiv to discuss the comments made on Monday by Marcin Przydacz, secretary of state in the chancellery of Poland’s president and head of the international policy bureau.
“During the meeting, it was emphasized that the statements about the alleged ingratitude of the Ukrainians for the assistance of the Republic of Poland do not reflect reality and as such are unacceptable,” Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for the foreign ministry in Kyiv, said in a press release.
In an interview with Polish media, Przydacz spoke in favor of extending an EU ban on certain Ukrainian exports, saying defending the interests of Polish farmers was very important.
Przydacz also said Ukraine had received a lot of support from Poland and it should “start appreciating the role Poland has played for Ukraine in recent months and years.”
“Ukraine should start appreciating what Poland is doing for it,” he said.
In response, the deputy head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andrii Sybiha, said: “We categorically reject the attempts by some Polish politicians to impose on Polish society the baseless idea that Ukraine does not appreciate the help from Poland,” adding that Ukraine thanks Poland and its allies every day.
“It is Ukrainians who are protecting the values and security of our region, and they also do it in the interests of Poland and the entire free world,” Sybiha added, saying that supporting Ukraine is not charity, but an investment.
Later Tuesday, Polish authorities said on social media they had summoned the Ukrainian ambassador “in connection with the statements made by representatives of the Ukrainian authorities.”
This isn’t the first time an ally has insinuated Ukraine needed to be more grateful to its allies.
Speaking to reporters at the NATO summit in Vilnius earlier this summer, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Ukraine must show “gratitude” to its allies in order to maintain long-term Western public and political support.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by saying he did not understand how much more he could do to express his thanks.
“He can write to me about how he wants to be thanked, so we can fully express our gratitude. We can make a point to wake up (every) morning and thank him,” Zelenskyy said.
Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, criticized Zelenskyy’s sarcastic response, saying the Ukrainian president’s tone was not healthy. Prystaiko was fired soon after.
