The war of words grew sharp between Poland and France this week, with French President Emmanuel Macron referring to Poland Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki as a "far-right antisemite who bans LGBTQ persons," causing Polish officials to summons Ambassador Frederic Billet to the French Foreign Ministry and creating a potential rift in the European Union's unity against Russia's aggression on Ukraine.
The harsh words came just ahead of this weekend's presidential election in France, and at a time when Poland has been championed over its support of Ukraine, including the offer of former Soviet Union MiG jet fighters and as the country welcomes thousands of Ukrainians fleeing from the Russian onslaught.
France, meanwhile, has been seen as doing less where Ukraine is concerned, after refusing to release the details of military aid it has sent to Ukraine while other countries have made their contributions to the war effort known worldwide.
However, France's diplomatic service has outlined the country's help for Ukraine as being more significant, pointing out that more than $100 million (USD) has been sent for humanitarian aid, and that it has steadfastly stood with Ukraine for years, including back in 2014 when Russia seized Crimea.
It also defended Macron's talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as furthering its efforts for peace and as its contribution to standing behind Ukraine.
Officials in Poland are blaming Macron's slam, made during a newspaper interview with the French Le Parisien newspaper Thursday, on campaign disputes in the days before the election, according to an Associated Press report.
Macron is seeking re-election while facing a tough challenge from French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, and in the interview, he also accused Morawiecki, who heads Poland's right-wing government, of trying to help the Le Pen campaign.
Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller called Macron a liar for calling Morawiecki an antisemite and blamed his comments on the campaign.
The French leader's remarks about Morawiecki came in response to the Polish leader's harsh criticism of his talks with Putin in an effort to stop the war in Ukraine, reports the BBC.
Morawiecki said such talks should not be held, comparing them to negotiations with war criminals like Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin.
The Polish people take accusations of antisemitism seriously after the Holocaust, which the Nazi occupiers carried out in most part in Poland, where most of Europe's Jewish population lived before World War II, notes The Associated Press.
Macron did not say why he was calling Morawiecki antisemitic, notes The Associated Press, but back in 2018, the Polish leader angered Israel and the Jewish communities when he claimed there were Jewish "perpetrators" during the Holocaust.
Morawiecki's team has also introduced legislation that stops private property owned by Holocaust victims to be returned to victims' descendants.
Macron, meanwhile, saw his popularity spike briefly because of his diplomatic talks to defend Ukraine, but now, he's attempting to present Le Pen as someone who sympathizes with Putin, reports the BBC.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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