In remarks to a local media outlet last week, Duda lamented the extent to which “the prime minister’s words were interpreted in the worst way possible.”

“In my opinion, the prime minister meant that we won’t be transferring to Ukraine the new weaponry that we’re currently buying as we modernize the Polish army,” he maintained. The statement confirms remarks from government spokespeople who note that, while Poland will honor existing contracts with Ukraine, it will decline to transfer newer weapons platforms to Kyiv. “As we receive the new weaponry from the U.S. and South Korea, we will be releasing the weaponry currently used by the Polish army,” Duda said. “Perhaps we will transfer it to Ukraine.”

If that is the Polish government’s plan (as Duda insists it is), it’s not that distinct from the course to which many NATO members — including the United States — have been committed for months.

[If so, then this was a stupid stunt for a time when a trading partner is attempting to fend off an invasion from a common enemy. Perhaps Duda and his administration really meant this as a rebuke to Brussels rather than Kyiv, but that’s not how it came across, and Duda is very late to the game if he’s seeking to quell any misunderstandings. — Ed]