The Kremlin has said after the latest diplomatic spat between Poland and Ukraine that it sees growing tensions between the two countries and expects growing differences between Kiev and its Western allies, Reuters reported.

“We see that there is friction between Warsaw and Kyiv. We predict that these frictions will intensify,” Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov said Friday afternoon, after Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Wednesday that his country would no longer transfer “any weapons” to Ukraine .

Poland has been one of Ukraine’s main backers since the Russian invasion began last year, but tensions over Ukrainian wheat exports have strained relations between the government in Kyiv and Warsaw.

Poland’s conservative government has strengthened its stance on Ukrainian grain in connection with the country’s preparations for parliamentary elections in mid-October.

Tensions between Poland and Ukraine escalated sharply this week after President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, speaking at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, said that Kyiv was “working hard to preserve overland routes for grain exports” and that the “political theater” surrounding grain imports was only helps Moscow.

Ukrainian grain caused a war of words between Warsaw and Kyiv

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Mariusz Kaminsky, immediately stated that the President of Ukraine “overdid it” with the accusation of “political theater”.

“I am warning the Ukrainian authorities, because if they escalate the conflict in this way, we will extend the ban on the import of certain products into the territory of the Republic of Poland,” Prime Minister Morawiecki also said.

Zelensky’s comments came after Poland, Slovakia and Hungary announced a unilateral ban on grain imports from Ukraine on Friday after the European Commission decided not to extend the sales ban to Ukraine’s five EU neighbors, including Romania and Bulgaria.

A spokesman for the World Trade Organization confirmed on Tuesday that Ukraine has taken the first step in the trade dispute by filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization.

However, Polish President Andrzej Duda assured on Thursday that Morawiecki’s statement a day earlier about sending weapons to Ukraine was misinterpreted.

“The words (of Mateusz Moravetskyi) were interpreted in the worst possible way. (…) In my opinion, the prime minister wanted to say that we will not transfer new weapons to Ukraine, which we are currently purchasing for the modernization of the Polish army,” Duda told TVN24.

Russia says it is concerned about Poland’s “aggression”.

Apparently ignoring Duda’s comments, Dmytro Peskov said on Friday that tensions between Kyiv and other European capitals will grow over time, and he noted that this is to Russia’s advantage because the “collective West” wants to cause it. “strategic defeat”.

Speaking about the aid program for the Polish army, which receives record amounts, Peskov also noted that this is a problem for Belarus, Russia’s neighbor and loyal ally.

“As for Poland’s weapons, it is not the most comfortable neighborhood for our Belarusian comrades,” he said, accusing Warsaw of being “rather aggressive” and “not shying away from subversive actions and interference in internal affairs.” affairs of other countries.

“But we and our Belarusian friends and allies are alert against possible threats that may come from Poland,” Peskov assured.

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