The Polish government is likely to cut financial support for the millions of Ukrainian refugees it hosts. Warsaw, which used to be one of Ukraine's most active supporters, providing financial and military aid and a gateway for Western supplies, is now facing a deterioration in relations with Ukraine ahead of the upcoming elections, Bloomberg reports.
Support for refugees, which includes the abolition of residence requirements, work permits, free access to education, health care and family assistance, will not be extended next year, government spokesman Piotr Müller tells Polsat TV.
"These rules will simply cease to apply next year," Müller said.
Deputy Minister of Family and Social Policy Anna Schmidt said that Poland has spent about 2.4 billion zlotys ($550 million) on payments for Ukrainian families who fled the war to Poland.
In response to the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products, Kyiv announced that it will block imports of some Polish vegetables and fruits, such as onions, tomatoes, cabbage and apples. This was announced by Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Kachka in an interview with Rzeczpospolita.
As we reported earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda compared Ukraine to a drowning person who is dangerous and can be dragged to the depths.
