Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski earlier accused Kiev of attempting to drag his nation into the conflict

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has criticized Polish Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski for what it called “unfounded” and “unacceptable” statements, after the latter said that Kiev wanted to drag his nation into a war with Russia. Warsaw must understand that shooting down Russian missiles over Ukraine is in its own best interests, the ministry claimed.

Speaking to Polish radio station ZET on Monday, Gawkowski criticized Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky over his calls for Kiev’s Western backers to conduct air defense for Ukraine. “Zelensky wants Poland to shoot down missiles over Ukraine,” the deputy prime minister said, adding that this would mean entering a direct conflict with Moscow.

“Zelensky… wants to drag Poland into the war with Russia,” the official stated, adding that he opposes the idea. He also criticized Kiev for being ungrateful to Warsaw and constantly demanding more assistance.

“I expect Ukraine… [to] appreciate that [they] have a friend who lent them a hand in difficult times and… not criticize it when it turns out that they want even more,” Gawkowski said.

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The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry shot back the next day by saying that it considered Gawkowski’s statements about Kiev’s desire to drag Poland into war “unfounded.” Making these comments in the current circumstances is “at the very least unacceptable,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We are convinced that shooting down Russian missiles and drones flying in the direction of Poland over the territory of Ukraine… is in the security interests of Poland itself and its citizens,” the statement read, claiming that aiding Kiev in its fight against “Russian aggression” is “a vital interest of Poland” as well.

The ministry said it expects “continued active cooperation” from Warsaw, arguing that it is “important to maintain and strengthen solidarity” between the two nations, and adding that it expects the Polish government “to share this goal.”

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Kiev has for months sought to convince NATO countries to extend their air defense coverage into Ukrainian territory, arguing that the systems donated by its Western backers are not enough. Last month, however, Zelensky said that the US and its allies were “not ready yet” for this step.

“We will continue to convince our partners of the need to shoot down Russian missiles and drones,” he said at the time.

Moscow has warned that the involvement of Western nations in the conflict merely prolongs the hostilities and extends the suffering without changing the outcome, while also risking a direct clash between Russia and NATO.

Russian officials have also claimed that Ukraine is seeking to make its Western backers enter into a direct confrontation with Moscow. Zelensky’s plans “boil down to Kiev dragging Western countries into war as quickly as possible and legitimizing it,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week. He was commenting on the Ukrainian leader’s ‘victory plan’, which includes the demand that the US provide Tomahawk cruise missiles, according to the New York Times.