"Politics of Hyenas and Jackals": Polish Top Diplomats Engage in Dispute over Ukraine

Former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jacek Czaputowicz, commenting on the tension in relations between Poland and Ukraine, stated that Warsaw is pursuing a "politics of hyenas and jackals," which outraged his successor and current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau.

"There are states that are strong like lions, there are states that are cunning like foxes, and there are states like hyenas and jackals. We are pursuing a politics of hyenas and jackals," said the former head of Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs during an interview on Polsat News.

He emphasised that when he visited Ukraine, all Ukrainians he met expressed gratitude towards the Poles.

"The country is bleeding, and Poland demands invoices at this time," Czaputowicz added.

Rau's statement expressed the strongest disagreement with Czaputowicz's remarks. He emphasised that such statements fundamentally contradict the facts and the spirit of Poland's diplomatic service, which has united generations of Polish diplomats. He stressed that loyalty is a virtue of a free person, and faithfulness to society and the state is the duty of every citizen, especially a high-ranking civil servant, according to the statement issued by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Another former Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Witold Waszczykowski, who is now a Member of the European Parliament for the "Law and Justice" party, also joined the disagreement. He rhetorically asked on social media whether this kind of person replaced him, referring to Czaputowicz.

Waszczykowski, speaking on TVN 24, also remarked that when it comes to Polish politics, "we have our own interests that need to be pursued."

"We cannot pursue a policy towards Ukraine that goes against or harms our own interests. Ukrainians do not understand this. They do not understand that even if they join the Union, they will be subject to restrictions, limits, quotas for years... Therefore, Ukrainians need to be taught about this Europe, to explain to them how business and competition work if they want to join the EU," said Waszczykowski.

On Tuesday, the Polish Ambassador to Ukraine, Bartosz Cichocki, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv due to statements made by Marcin Przydacz, the Secretary of State in the Chancellery of President Andrzej Duda. Przydacz mentioned that Ukraine should "start appreciating the role that Poland played in recent months and years."

These statements came in the context of the situation involving the blocking of Ukrainian grain exports across Poland.

In response, Poland summoned the Ukrainian Ambassador, Vasyl Zvarych. Additionally, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised Poland's commitment to maintaining good relations with Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked that emotions should cool down.