Ukraine behaves like a drowning person over grain import ban says Duda
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, has compared Ukraine's reaction to Poland's extension of its embargo on Ukrainian grain imports to the reaction of a drowning person who can harm the rescuer.
On Monday Ukraine filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over the extension of their embargo on agri-produce imports from Ukraine in defiance of EU's decision to terminate the ban.
Duda, who is on a five-day visit to the US where he is attending the 78th session of UN General Assembly in New York, met with Polish reporters on Tuesday.
"Ukraine is behaving like a drowning person clinging to everything he can... but we have the right to defend ourselves against harm being done to us," he told a press briefing in New York.
"A drowning person is extremely dangerous, he can pull you down to the depths... simply drown the rescuer," Duda said.
Therefore, he continued: "We must act to protect ourselves from the harm being done to us, because if the drowning person... drowns us, he will not get help.
"So we have to take care of our interests and we will do it effectively and decisively," Duda said.
The Polish president added that he did not meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky owing to delays in the schedule of speeches at the General Assembly. However, he added that it was possible that the two would meet later.
