Poland is accusing Ukraine of not showing enough gratitude for the amount of support they have provided, echoing other Western nations who feel that President Zelensky’s government has taken their assistance for granted. Poland has given Ukraine over 1.7 billion euros ($1.85 billion) worth of military aid and has accepted around one million Ukrainian refugees since the war began in February 2022.
Marcin Przydacz, a Polish foreign policy advisor, suggested in an interview earlier this week that Ukraine 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,” Przydacz reiterated.
Ukraine was quick to “categorically reject” the Polish claims, however, with the deputy head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andrii Sybiha, stating: “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.”
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated following the shouting match. The Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pavel Yablonsky admitted that currently “there is no agreement” between the two on a number of issues.
Poland is not alone in suggesting that the Ukrainians have been ungrateful. British Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace, argued at the Vilnius NATO summit, “people want to see a bit of gratitude” from Zelensky and his government, adding: “You know, we’re not Amazon.”
In response, Zelensky mocked the British comments and even fired his own ambassador for agreeing with the UK position.
