Blockade of the border between Poland and Ukraine: ministers met

The Ukrainian Minister for Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, announced that he had met his Polish counterpart Dariusz Klimczak, recently appointed to Donald Tusk's new pro-European government, on Wednesday 20 December in Warsaw. According to Kyiv, the meeting was mainly about "unblocking the border".

Ukrainian truck drivers wait to be able to return from Poland to Korczowa on December 7, 2023. AP - Karl Ritter

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This is the first meeting between the two ministers, while their respective governments hope to facilitate bilateral talks with the arrival of a new leadership team in Warsaw.

Since November, Polish truckers have been blocking the border between the two countries, creating long queues, in response to the "unfair competition" they denounce from Ukrainian trucks.

Oleksandr Kubrakov confirmed that the "main topic" of his meeting with Dariusz Klimczak in Warsaw was indeed "the unblocking of the common border", a blockage that weighs on Ukraine's economy.

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We hope to find a common position this week " he said, adding that a Polish delegation was expected in Kyiv for a new round of negotiations.

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We have presented key figures and analytical data that testify to this: the problems mentioned by the Polish protesters do not exist, in reality," the Ukrainian minister pleaded.

🇺🇦🇵🇱 We met in Warsaw with the new Minister of Infrastructure of Poland @DariuszKlimczak. The key topic for both sides is to unblock the border. We presented figures and analytics of traffic between our countries. Polish colleagues highlighted their arguments and figures about... pic.twitter.com/M3baWcKpTx

— Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) December 21, 2023

Ukraine's economy is heavily dependent on road transport with its EU neighbour for both exports and imports. This is even more true since the start of the Russian offensive in 2022.

Representing the alternation with his return to power, Poland's new Prime Minister Donald Tusk has promised to lead a resolutely pro-European line, and to find a solution with disgruntled hauliers.

Ukrainian Oleksandr Kubrakov welcomes this change of era in Warsaw, evoking an "open dialogue" with Warsaw where he notes a "willingness to solve problems together".

RelatedPolish border blocked: agreement to smuggle empty trucks from Ukraine

The meeting came at a time when the recent announcement of Ukraine's future accession to the European Union, supported by Copa, Europe's largest farmers' union, has worried many European farmers.

As an agricultural powerhouse, Ukraine is a country whose production conditions are very different from those observed in the European market, where there is concern about a possible surge in the event of rainfall.

Read alsoUkraine's upcoming accession to the EU is already causing concern among European farmers

On the border between Ukraine and Poland, in the snow, queues of trucks sometimes several kilometres long have been observed in recent weeks. The Polish truckers are supported by the Confederation Party. Known for his anti-Ukrainian positions, the latter supports them in their demands: a review of the rules governing border crossings, the return of a special permit for Ukrainian drivers in the Union.

Faced with tons of goods and foodstuffs no longer reaching Ukraine, some road hauliers have recently gone so far as to circumvent the blockade by loading their semi-trailers onto wagons.

On the same topicPolish border blocked: Ukrainian trucks transported on trains to circumvent the blockade

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