According to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, “only Moscow is happy” about the ongoing protests in Poland.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is seeking a solution to the months-long protests in Poland against Ukrainian agricultural transport by inviting the Polish Prime Minister Donald Hardly to negotiate the border between the two countries.
Zelenskyi said today that he himself is ready to travel to the border on Saturday at the latest. He hopes that Tusk will personally arrive there. Zelenskyi also invited EU representatives to the negotiations.
According to Zelensky, “only Moscow is happy†about the ongoing protests in Poland, which make it difficult to transport Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products to EU countries and further to the world.
Yesterday, Tuesday, demonstrators supporting Polish farmers almost completely blocked traffic at the border crossings between Poland and Ukraine. The demonstration has continued until today, Wednesday.
– The most important demands of the farmers are that uncontrolled food imports from Ukraine and the EU’s green development program must be stopped, the organizer of the protest Karol Farszewski said the Reuters news agency.
Protesters opened additional Ukrainian train cars at the border stations yesterday, from which grain was allowed to flow onto the rails.
– Unfortunately, the border blockade threatens the delivery of weapons to our soldiers on the front line. This is about national security, Zelenskyi said today.
Polish farmers started protesting at border stations already last year to prevent cheap Ukrainian agricultural products from entering the EU market. According to the demonstrators, the cheap Ukrainian products leaving the country will destroy their own livelihood.
This week’s wider protests started after the EU granted Ukraine an extension to the agreement, based on which the country can import agricultural products into the EU territory without customs fees.
In addition to Poland, there have also been farmers’ protests in other EU countries, especially in Slovakia and Hungary, both of which opposed the extension of the agreement with Poland granted to Ukraine.
Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov said yesterday that the protests of the Polish farmers started out of hand. At the demonstration, for example, the president of Russia was seen Vladimir Putin sturdy poster. Poland said today that it is investigating the case.
In Ukraine, near the Polish border, in the city of Rava-Ruska, Ukrainian truck drivers organized a counter-protest yesterday, where they demanded Polish demonstrators to stop blocking the border crossings.
– There is a war going on here. They don’t understand it, and probably never will, Ukrainian truck driver Maksym Sydor said the Reuters news agency.
Poland has strongly supported Ukraine in its ongoing defensive war against Russia. Tusk, who started as Poland’s prime minister in December, has promised to continue supporting Poland militarily, but also defending the interests of his own country’s farmers.
Sources: AFP, Reuters