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Kyiv's diplomatic strains on 25 September 2023
Summary
A look back at the political frictions, with Poland and Canada, that surrounded Ukraine's diplomacy in the days before 25 September 2023.
What did Ukraine's diplomacy look like on 25 September 2023? The reports from the preceding days show friction with two partners, Poland and Canada, even as Kyiv sought support abroad.
Warsaw's protest
On 20 September 2023, the Polish Foreign Ministry summoned Vasyl Zvarych, Ukraine's ambassador to Poland, to convey a strong protest. The trigger was a statement by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the UN General Assembly, in which he said that the actions of some European countries indirectly helped Russia. The remark drew condemnation from Poland.
On the same day, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that Poland would stop supplying Ukraine with weapons. This came amid tensions between the two countries over Poland's import ban on Ukrainian agricultural products.
A scandal at home in Poland
Polish politics was also under strain from the 2023 parliamentary election campaign. On 19 September 2023, documents allegedly from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that the Polish embassy in Minsk had issued 784,173 visas to people from 65 countries with the aid of a Moscow-based company. People denied entry at the Belarus–European Union border may also have been granted visas. The affair was known as the cash-for-visa scandal.
Ottawa's embarrassment
A separate episode unfolded in Canada during Zelenskyy's visit. On 24 September 2023, Speaker of the House Anthony Rota apologised for inviting Yaroslav Hunka to Parliament. It had emerged that Hunka had fought for the Galicia Division under Nazi command.
What the pattern showed
The three episodes were distinct. The dispute with Poland was a direct clash between governments, tied to the agricultural import ban and to the arms announcement. The Canadian episode ended with an apology from the Speaker. The Polish visa affair concerned Poland's own ministry and embassy, not Ukraine. Together, they show how quickly a visit, a speech or a domestic scandal could complicate Ukraine's relations with partners in the days before 25 September 2023.
