Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna said on Monday that Kiev had informed the European Commission “about the situation on the Ukrainian-Polish border, in particular about the occurrence of obstacles to passenger transport.”
Stefaniszyna emphasized that on Sunday, on the Polish side of the border, there was an attempt to block the Kiev-Chełm passenger train, which was carrying 260 passengers, mostly women and children.
We are waiting for a clear reaction from European partners to the border blockade and for the restoration of public order at the border, she added.
She recalled that a meeting of the Coordination Platform for the Export and Transit of Ukrainian Agricultural Products was to be held on Tuesday in Brussels.
Is the blockade beneficial to Russia?
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakow assured on Monday that “Ukraine is doing everything in its power to minimize possible economic losses for Polish farmers.” In a post on the X platform, he emphasized that the blockade of the border by Polish farmers “is beneficial for Russia”, which “is already using the blockade to show that things are not going well between us and our friendly Poland”.
Kubrakow added that last month Ukraine exported 6.7 million tons of agricultural products, mainly by sea.
For comparison, only 0.37 million tons of products passed through Poland, which is approximately 5%. At the same time, in 2022, we exported approximately 1 million tons of agricultural products per month through Poland, noted the Ukrainian minister.
Protests and blockades on the border with Ukraine led by Polish farmers and carriers began in November last year. Farmers protested in this way, among others: against the European Commission’s decision to extend duty-free trade with Ukraine until 2025. On Monday, the blockades covered six border crossings, Kubrakov reported in the morning. The Ukrainian side estimated on Sunday that on the Polish side there were nearly 3,000. trucks were stuck waiting to cross the border.
