Polish President Andrzej Duda has compared Ukraine to a drowning man who is dangerous and can be dragged to the depths, PAP reports. He made this statement during a briefing for Polish journalists in New York, where he defended Poland's decision to impose unilateral restrictions on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products. As a reminder, Kyiv is challenging these restrictions at the World Trade Organization.

Duda explained his comparison, saying that "everyone who has ever participated in the rescue of a drowning man knows that he is incredibly dangerous, that he can drag himself to the depths."

The Polish leader stated: "It's a bit like the situation between Poland and Ukraine. Ukraine is under Russian attack, no doubt in a very difficult situation, grabbing for everything it can. Is it possible to be offended by it? Of course, you can be outraged."

Duda emphasized the importance of protecting their interests and expressed his determination to act effectively and persistently.

"Do we need to act in such a way as to protect ourselves from being drowned? Of course, we have to act in such a way as to protect ourselves from being harmed by the drowning man, because if the drowning man harms us and drowns us, he will not receive help. Therefore, we must take care of our interests, and we will do it effectively and decisively," the Polish president emphasized.

He also said that he was unable to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for organizational reasons, but he does not rule out the possibility of such a meeting in the future.