/UKRAINE: Warsaw & Kyiv In Talks To Arrange Ad Hoc Summit On Grain Tensions

Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski told Polsat News that a "final decision" on the date for a key meeting between Prime Minister Donald Tusk's and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be made today and it will be announced this afternoon.

• Zelensky called for top-level talks on the ongoing "grain crisis" which weighs on bilateral relations amid continued protests of Polish farmers, who object the EU Commission's decision to extend duty-free trade with Ukraine until 2025 and other measures (especially the EU's Green Deal), which they claim exposes them to unfair competition and threatens their businesses.
• Protest leader Slawomir Izdebski condemned the appearance of a pro-Russian banner at one of the rallies, while the police launched a probe into the incident, but it has added to the tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv. The gradual radicalisation of rhetoric among the protesters reduces room for compromise - albeit admittedly it is still mostly targeting the EU and the local government rather than Ukraine.
• President Zelensky's spokesman Nikiforov said that talks are ongoing over a possible summit with Prime Minister Tusk, but was unable to provide any details. The official added that many foreign leaders are expected to visit Kyiv on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24.