Warsaw vetoed negotiations on a new partnership and cooperation agreement, which is to replace the current 1997 deal expiring in December, ahead of the Russia-EU summit in Helsinki last November citing Russia's ban on Polish meat imports.
"Poland will maintain its veto on talks on a new agreement between the EU and Russia," Jaroslaw Kaczynski told a news conference.
The European Commission, the EU executive body, said last week it had received a letter from the Russian agriculture minister reiterating Moscow's refusal to lift its ban on meat imports from Poland, which Russia imposed claiming the meat was re-exported from third countries in breach of sanitary violations.
"The veto remains in place. Russia has not lifted its sanctions and we maintain the veto," Kaczynski said.
The issue acquired new importance in view of the Russia-EU summit in Samara on the Volga May 17-18.
