Ukraine and Poland called in the ambassadors from each other’s countries on Tuesday as a dispute escalated after a foreign policy adviser to Poland’s president said Kyiv should show more appreciation for Warsaw’s support in its war with Russia, writes Reuters.

Ukrainian President issued a plea for unity amid the diplomatic manoeuvring, saying there could be no “crack” in the shield that solid Polish support had provided for Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, also writing on X, said the dispute exposed “various signals that politics is sometimes trying to be above unity”.

“We greatly appreciate the historical support of Poland, which together with us has become a real shield of Europe from sea to sea. And there cannot be a single crack in this shield”, - Zelensky wrote.

“We will not allow any political instants to spoil the relations between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples, and emotions should definitely cool down”.