President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky referred to the situation on the Polish-Ukrainian border, where truck drivers heading to Ukraine are standing in queues for several days, which is caused by protests by Polish carriers. He said that Ukraine must “pursue a balanced policy and give our neighbors some time.” He assessed that “the situation is getting warmer.”
– I think we need to have a very balanced policy. Have an action plan. And we have such a plan. The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Stefaniszyn work with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Infrastructure. I’m sure we can do it, Zelensky told journalists after the “Grain from Ukraine” conference in Kiev.
– I think we need to give our neighbors some time. Everything is getting warmer, concluded the Ukrainian president, quoted by the Ukrainska Pravda website.
Carriers protest at the border. 127 hours of waiting to check in
“It is necessary to urgently find a way out of the situation”
On Wednesday, the Verkhovna Rada Ukraine addressed the newly elected Sejm and Senate of the Republic of Poland with a proposal of cooperation in unblocking the Polish-Ukrainian border. “Blocking the flow of goods across the border will inevitably lead to a worsening of the already difficult socio-economic situation in Ukraine and will hamper the reconstruction of our country’s economy,” Ukrainian MPs wrote.
They added that “in such circumstances, it is necessary to urgently find a way out of the situation that has developed on the Ukrainian-Polish border.”
– We are working with the Ministry of Infrastructure and the European Commission to find a solution. We also ask the government of the Republic of Poland to help us find this solution and unblock this border as soon as possible, said Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Serhiy Dekach on Saturday.
The deputy minister met with Ukrainian drivers standing in a several-day long queue to check in at the Polish-Ukrainian border, as well as Polish carriers protesting in front of the border crossing in Dorohusk (Lubelskie). – We are doing everything to continue negotiations with the European Union, with the government of the Republic of Poland, to find a solution, to unblock the border and allow our drivers to return home – he added.
Carriers’ protest
Queues in front of Polish border crossings with Ukraine are related to the protest of Polish carriers that began on November 6. They demand, among others: introducing commercial permits for Ukrainian companies to transport goods, excluding humanitarian aid and supplies for the Ukrainian army; suspension of licenses for companies established after the explosion war in Ukraine and carry out their inspection. There is also a proposal to eliminate the so-called electronic queue on the Ukrainian side.
As she announced on Saturday morning National Tax Administration, the waiting time for leaving Poland through the Medyka crossing is 127 hours. The police inform that there are approximately 1,200 vehicles in the queue to Medyka.
Main photo source: Oleg Marusic/REPORTER/EastNews