'Inevitable': Russia says it expects Ukraine's tensions with European states to grow

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that tensions between Ukraine, whose dispute with Poland over grain imports has extended to military aid, will increase with other European states over time.

"We see that there are certain tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv, we predict that these tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv will increase," he told a daily press briefing in Moscow. "We understand that tensions between Kyiv and other European capitals will also increase over time. It's inevitable."

Poland has stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine after Kyiv criticized Poland and other neighbors' decision to halt Ukrainian grain imports.

Peskov said Russia will continue the implementation of tasks of its "special military operation."

He said Russia and Belarus are taking into account threats "emanating from Poland," and are "on guard."

"The neighborhood with Poland is not the most comfortable for our Belarusian comrades. The country is quite aggressive, does not shun subversive activities, interference in the internal affairs of other states," he said.

Commenting on a meeting of the leaders of Central Asian states with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Peskov said they have their own relations with Washington.

"It is the right of these countries to hold such meetings. Of course, we are closely monitoring all this. For us ... the main thing is the continuation of our dialogue.

"You know that Russia and the Central Asian 'five' have their own dialogue, which is extremely important for us. We have our own integration processes, on which we focus our attention," he said.