TASS, September 20. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has warned Kiev that Poland may expand the list of goods banned for import from Ukraine if the Ukrainian authorities continue to escalate the conflict over the ban on Ukrainian food imports.
"I warn the Ukrainian authorities: if they continue to escalate tensions, we will add more products to the list of goods banned for import on the territory of Poland," he said during a Polsat TV broadcast.
"It was us who came to Ukraine’s aid first, and we expect them to understand our interests. We will firmly protect our interests. This means that, of course, we respect the problems of the Ukrainian side, but what is most important for us are the interests of our farmers, the interests of the Polish agricultural sector," the official pointed out.
According to him, Poland does not agree with any court actions, orders or lawsuits filed against it. As Morawiecki recalled, supplies of Ukrainian grain greatly destabilized Poland’s domestic market.
Against the backdrop of the European Commission refusing to extend the embargo on grain supplies from Ukraine after September 15, Bratislava, Budapest and Warsaw extended the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products at the national level.
In response to these actions, Kiev began the process of filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Bratislava, Budapest and Warsaw. According to Ukrainian Deputy Economy Minister and Trade Representative Taras Kachka, Kiev will also have to respond to Warsaw's actions and impose a ban on imports of fruits and vegetables from Poland.