The Polish government voiced proposals to protesters to unblock the border with Ukraine

Poland’s new Minister of Agriculture Anna Hembicka met with Polish farmers blocking the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint and offered the protesters proposals to end the border blockade.

In turn, the new Minister of Infrastructure, Alvin Gayadur, announced a meeting with protesters from the transportation sector on Wednesday.

During a briefing for journalists, Hembicka said that the difficult situation on the border was caused by Russian aggression against Ukraine and the EU’s “irresponsible policy” that ignores the problems of Poland and other border countries. According to her, she discussed with the farmers how Poland will fight at the EU level for the solutions demanded by farmers and transporters, as well as solutions at the national level.

Regarding the demands of farmers blocking the border with Ukraine, the minister offered them a surcharge of 1 thousand zlotys (over 9 thousand UAH) for each hectare of corn and an increase in the fund for low-interest loans for farmers by 2.5 billion zlotys (over 22.5 billion UAH).

Hembicka noted that several issues still need to be agreed upon, but expressed hope that on Wednesday it will be possible to prepare a draft order in this case, which will be considered by the Council of Ministers.

The Polish minister also denied that Polish protesters were blocking humanitarian aid, food, and so-called dangerous goods (ADR) at the border.

“We do not agree with the accusations against farmers and carriers of blocking humanitarian aid or goods that need to be delivered to Ukraine quickly,” the official emphasized.

She noted that she would hold urgent talks on the protesters’ demands with the Minister of Infrastructure and the head of the Polish Interior Ministry.

For his part, Infrastructure Minister Gayadur said that on Wednesday he would meet with representatives of the Polish transportation sector to discuss the crisis. He noted that the key to solving the problem lies in Kyiv and Brussels.

The Minister informed that his deputy Rafad Weber will hold another round of talks with representatives of the Ukrainian government and the European Commission.

“We hope that the Ukrainian side will show a constructive position and exclude from the electronic queue system, in accordance with the requirements of Polish carriers, vehicles returning without cargo from Ukraine at least at two checkpoints Zosin-Ustyluh and Nizhankovichi-Malchovice,” emphasized Gayadur.

Meanwhile, more than 20 Polish non-governmental organizations have appealed to the President and Prime Minister of Poland to hold constructive talks as soon as possible to find a systemic solution that will satisfy all parties to the conflict. They also called on the protesters to stop blockading the border to avoid escalation of the conflict and try to resolve the problem through negotiations.

“The blockade destroys the trust and image of Poland, which is considered in Ukraine to be the main ally in the fight against the Russian aggressor. For the Ukrainian and world community, this is an incomprehensible act of hostility and a turning away from the Ukrainian society that is fighting for freedom and survival,” Polish organizations emphasize.

In their opinion, the protesters have the right to protest and defend their interests, but in light of the war in Ukraine, the chosen form of protest could lead to “serious consequences for Ukraine’s military efforts and relations between the countries.”

As a reminder, on November 6, Polish carriers went on strike and blocked truck traffic across the Ukrainian-Polish border. In particular, the movement of freight transport in the direction of the three largest checkpoints “Korczowa-Krakowiec”, “Hrebenne-Rava Ruska”, “Dorohusk-Yagodyn” was blocked. Later, on November 23, the carriers blocked the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint.

The protesters are demanding a ban on the registration of transport companies with foreign capital in Poland, which is driving Polish entrepreneurs out of the market. They are also demanding the restoration of entry permits to the European Union for Ukrainian carriers and improved border services. The action of Polish carriers was planned to last for two months, until the end of the year.

Negotiations between Ukrainian government officials and the protesters did not yield any results, and Mustafa Nayyem, head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development, emphasized that Ukraine would not even discuss some of the demands of Polish carriers.

Tags: Ukraine, subsidies, Poland, protests, restrictions