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Why is Poland stopping sending weapons to Ukraine – and what is the dispute over?
Poland has said it will stop sending weapons to Ukraine amid an ongoing row over grain exports.
In a TV address on Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said: “We are no longer transferring any weapons to Ukraine because we will now arm ourselves with the most modern weapons.”
Ukraine‘s neighbour has been one of its strongest allies, providing tanks, fighter jets and taking in roughly a million refugees.
But tensions over grain could play into Russia’s hands if the issues aren’t resolved, experts warn.
Sky News takes a closer look at what’s behind the dispute.
Grain dispute escalates
The origins of current tensions stretch back to the very beginning of the war – and Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea.
Shipping lanes were blocked, but a deal was struck with Moscow to allow grain to be transported over land.
Although a positive development, it meant neighbouring European countries were flooded with Ukrainian grain, which pushed down prices and left local farmers out of pocket.
Zelenskyy comments a ‘step too far’
With the Ukrainian economy decimated by the war effort, it is desperate to sell as much of its grain as it can.
But given the level of support it’s given, Poland’s request that that should not come at the expense of its farmers is “quite reasonable”, according to military analyst Sean Bell.
“Ukraine is trying to dump a lot of its grain onto its European neighbours,” he tells Sky News. “And Poland, quite reasonably, is saying that’s a step too far.”
Pressure from far-right extends to Slovakia
Many analysts have pointed to upcoming elections in Poland on 15 October as another factor in its defiant stance.
Although Mr Morawiecki’s Law and Justice (PiS) party is most likely to win, according to recent polls, its margin over its far-right opponents has tightened.
Read the full explainer here.
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