The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced this week that his country would no longer provide new weapons to Ukraine. This is a sudden change of heart from one of Kyiv’s most steadfast allies in its war against Russia.

Morawiecki said to Polish media channel Polsat News that Poland will no longer “transfer any weapons” (to Ukraine) on Wednesday.

He said, “We’ll now arm ourselves with modern weapons.”

The Polish Embassy in Washington, D.C., stated in an email sent to The Hill that the country continues to fulfill “previously-agreed-upon delivery of ammunition and weapons” as per signed contracts, and will remain a hub for international assistance in order to facilitate other Western arms flowing in Ukraine.

The Polish ambassador to the U.S., Marek Magierowski, said on X (formerly Twitter) that “over 17 months, we have basically slashed our military for Ukraine’s war efforts.”

In his post, he said that Poland is trying to compensate for its own depletion.

The decision is a serious blow for Ukraine, who has been relying on Western support to continue the fight against Russian forces. They have worked hard to keep this support.

It would be a major victory for Moscow if the Polish support remained frozen. Russia’s strategy includes staying in the war long enough to establish itself in eastern Ukraine, and hoping that Western support will crack over time.

Morawiecki made his announcement after Kyiv announced that it would sue Poland Hungary and Slovakia at the World Trade Organization over their ban on grain and agricultural imports.

The European Union Commission allowed these countries to temporarily impose an import ban on agricultural products in the spring, but recently refused to extend it. This led Poland, Slovakia and Hungary impose their own bans and Ukraine to file a lawsuit in response.

Poland claims that the large amount of Ukrainian grain it imports is causing high stock levels and market volatility. This is affecting its farmers and its economy.

The Polish embassy told The Hill that the massive increase in imports of grains and oilseeds to Poland between 2022 and 2023 caused significant market disruptions.

Polish officials have also accused Ukraine that it is negotiating tensions by using hostility.

In the email, they said: “In the past few days we have witnessed a number of diplomatic statements and gestures that are utterly inacceptable from the Ukrainian side.” “Poland will not tolerate such unwarranted acts.”

This decision comes after comments made earlier this week by the Polish President Andrzej Dda, who compared Ukraine’s struggle for survival to a “drowning” person capable of knocking down anyone who tries to help.

The Financial Times reported that Duda said, “Ukraine behaves like a drowning individual clinging on to whatever is available.” “A drowning individual is dangerous and can drag you to the bottom of the sea… just drown the rescuer.”