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Frictions between Kiev, European capitals to grow — Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov noted that Warsaw and Kiev are now citadels of Russophobia

MOSCOW, September 22. /TASS/. Moscow predicts that there will be growing rifts between Kiev and Warsaw, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told the media.

He also believes that tensions between Kiev and other European capitals will increase.

"We see that there are certain frictions between Warsaw and Kiev. We predict that these frictions between Warsaw and Kiev will increase," Peskov said, while commenting on Poland's intention to refuse to supply weapons to Ukraine.

"We regret that both capitals are now citadels of Russophobia. We are, of course, watching this closely," Peskov noted. "We understand that frictions will also grow over time between Kiev and other European capitals. This is inevitable. We are meanwhile continuing our special military operation in order to fulfill the tasks that we set to ourselves."

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said earlier this week that Warsaw was no longer supplying Kiev with any weapons. He said that his country was now acquiring modern hardware for its own army and had already placed large orders. Later, Morawiecki's statement was clarified by Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller, who pointed out that the country’s authorities were sending to Ukraine only weapons that had been agreed upon earlier.

Grain supplies are another problem in Ukraine's relations with Poland. On September 15, the European Commission decided not to extend the embargo on grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine, but demanded that Kiev submit a plan for preventing market distortions in the EU countries by September 18. Hungary, Poland and Slovakia imposed unilateral bans on the import of Ukrainian grain. Ukraine filed a complaint with the WTO and launched an investigation against what it said were unfriendly moves by Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in trade. Warsaw and Kiev began to exchange accusations over agricultural exports back in July. The Ukrainian authorities slammed Warsaw's idea of extending the ban as an unfriendly step towards Kiev and also a populist one. The Polish authorities said such statements were worsening relations and accused Kiev of being thankless.