Polish farmers have resumed blocking the Korchova-Krakovets and Medyka-Shehyni checkpoints, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported on its Telegram channel on Thursday morning.
“The protesters on the territory of Poland took such actions today after 09:00. In the direction of the Krakovets checkpoint, the movement of trucks heading towards Ukraine is restricted, and in the direction of Shehyni – both exiting and entering Poland. According to available information, the protesters plan to block traffic in Krakowiec until 9:00 a.m. on April 20, and in Shehynia until 9:00 a.m. on April 19,” the statement said.
According to the border guard agency, on Thursday morning, about 1,500 trucks are waiting in queues in Poland in these directions to cross into Ukraine. No complications are expected for the movement of cars and buses.
Polish farmers continue to block the movement of Ukrainian trucks in three directions, at checkpoints “Yahodyn” and “Rava-Russkaya” cargo vehicles are not allowed to exit Ukraine, said the speaker of the State Border Service of Ukraine Andriy Demchenko.
“As of now there are three directions (blocking traffic), I remind you that before there were 6 checkpoints they blocked (Polish protesters). As of now – 3, if more substantially, these are checkpoints “Yagodin”, “Ugrinov”, as well as “Rava-Russkaya”. And in fact on the two largest of these three checkpoints – “Yahodyn” and “Rava-Russkaya”, Polish farmers do not pass cargo vehicles that follow from Ukraine at all”, – he said on air of the national telethon on Sunday.
According to the speaker of the State Border Service, these two checkpoints have recently recorded zero numbers on the exit from Ukraine, with about 500 trucks in queues.
Polish farmers, Ukrainian trucks, Yahodyn and Rava Russka Andriy Demchenko
Polish farmers continue to block truck traffic at the Yahodyn, Ustyluh, Uhryniv, Rava-Ruska, Shehyni and Krakivets checkpoints, with a total of nearly 2,400 trucks in the queues, according to Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS).
“Polish farmers are blocking traffic in six directions. These are the directions of the Yahodyn, Ustyluh, Uhryniv, Rava-Ruska, Shehyni and Krakovets checkpoints. “If we talk about the queues that have formed in Poland because of this, in all these directions, in total, as of this morning, it is about 2,400 trucks, most of all at the Krakovets, Rava-Ruska and Yagodyn checkpoints,” Demchenko said on the air of the national telethon on Sunday.
According to him, the lowest rates of border crossings remain for trucks. Over the past day, about 90 trucks crossed the border in both directions at Shehyni checkpoint, and 50 trucks crossed the border to Ukraine at Yagodyn checkpoint, but Polish farmers continue to completely block the movement of trucks heading from Ukraine to Poland.
There is no blocking of cars and buses.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the situation with the blockade of the border by Polish farmers is a political one, but the parties need joint decisions and a fair way out.
“What is happening on our western border – the border with Poland – cannot be taken as something normal or ordinary. Only 5% of our agricultural exports pass through the Polish border. Therefore, in fact, the situation is not about grain, but rather about politics,” he said in an evening video address.
Thus, according to him, “compared to the news from near Kupyansk, where the enemy artillery does not stop, the news from the border with Poland looks just mocking.”
The Head of State emphasized the need to find a solution to this situation.
“We need simple and clear justice. We need joint decisions, rational decisions to get out of this situation. The decisions are ours with the Poles, first of all, and everyone in Europe who cares about the fate of Europe,” he said.
As reported, Polish farmers announced the beginning of a full blockade of the border on February 20, including the blocking of road checkpoints, railroad entrances and exits to ports.
Polish farmers will block all border crossings as well as transport hubs between Poland and Ukraine from February 20, RMF FM writes.
“Not only border crossings will be blocked, but also transport hubs, access roads to railway transshipment stations and seaports,” a communiqué from the Solidarity farmers’ union said, as quoted by Poland’s RMF FM.
Earlier, on February 9, Solidarity announced a 30-day general strike by farmers.
Polish agrarians say they are protesting against the uncontrolled influx of goods from Ukraine into Poland due to the opening of borders by the European Union. It is pointed out that “the lack of regulation calls into question the profitability of agricultural production, processing and other agriculture-related industries.”
“Therefore, for February 20, as part of the 30-day general strike of farmers, we announce that all protests will be aimed at a complete blockade of all Polish border crossings with Ukraine and protests on the ground,” the farmers told Solidarity.
blockade of border crossings, Polish farmers, Polish farmers' strike
Polish farmers who have been blocking the Ukrainian-Polish border are ready to resume their protest on January 2-3 if they do not receive written assurances from the Polish government that their demands will be met, the Polish TV channel TVP Info reports, citing a statement by the head of the National Council of Agrarian Chambers, Viktor Shmulevych.
“The Minister of Agriculture of Poland, after consultations with the government, must satisfy the demands of the farmers who suspended the protest on the Polish-Ukrainian border on Christmas Eve. The resumption of their activities depends on a written statement on the fulfillment of their basic requirements,” the Polish politician said.
The publication reminded that the picketers, who are associated, in particular, with the Podkarpackie Oszukanej Wsi (Deceived All), demand the abolition of the increase in agricultural tax, easier access to soft loans to maintain liquidity of their farms, as well as subsidies for corn in the amount of 1000 zlotys per hectare.
In an interview with TVP Info on Tuesday, Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Sekerski said that work in this area is ongoing.
“I was at the border where I talked to the protesters. But legislative decisions are needed to prepare solutions. We are waiting for the #UE to agree to subsidize corn. We want to preserve low-interest loans. We also want local governments to be able to exempt farmers from agricultural tax increases without losing themselves,” the Polish Ministry of Agriculture quoted Sekerski as saying on Twitter.
Commenting on the demand of the protesting farmers, who insist on regulating the conditions of food imports from Ukraine, Sekerski explained that a trilateral agreement between Warsaw, Kyiv and Brussels is needed.
“Until it is lifted, the embargo on grain imports will remain in place. We have to keep the embargo in place until the conditions that would replace this situation are determined, i.e. limiting the volume of possible inflow of specific agricultural goods. There is some experience that Ukraine has already gained in its relations with Romania and Bulgaria when it comes to restrictions. This will allow us to control these processes,” the minister was quoted as saying by polskieradio24.pl.
Commenting on Sekersky’s interview on TVP Info, the head of the National Council of Agrarian Chambers, Shmulevych, said that the minister is a member of the government and is responsible for the sector that falls within his competence.
“Therefore, if the minister makes such statements, his words are sacred, and I think he has the approval of the government and there should be no problems in this matter,” Shmulevich assessed the situation.
The Polish edition emphasized that a group of Polish farmers is ready to resume the protest on January 2 or 3 in the absence of a written statement from the Polish government on the satisfaction of their demands.
