KYIV: Polish truckers on Sunday ended their blockade of a border checkpoint with Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities said, days after the countries discussed resolving a row that has soured ties.
Polish hauliers have blocked crossing points since early November to protest what they say is unfair competition from Ukrainian truckers.
The Ukrainian border guard on Sunday said that the protest at the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint ended at 9:30 am, with the registration and crossing of trucks resuming “as usual”.
The European Union had waived a requirement for Ukrainian transport companies to possess entry permits in a gesture of solidarity after Russia’s attack in February 2022. The exemption has been extended to June 2024.
Polish truckers say the move undercut their earnings. Ukraine meanwhile heavily relies on the route for its exports and imports, especially as Black Sea ports have been blocked off due to the war with Russia.
The protests have triggered long queues of vehicles and strained ties. Poland has been one of Kyiv’s staunchest EU allies and has welcomed hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior officials met new Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Kyiv to discuss ways a solution to the blockade.
New Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has repeatedly emphasised his support for Ukraine and pledged to find an agreement with his country’s disgruntled truckers.
Earlier the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed the issue.
“The first thing to do is to unblock the border, because the situation in which our friendly relations find themselves -- in the shadow of the blocked border -- is unacceptable and harmful,” Kuleba told his Polish counterpart.
“We hope that this problem will be solved by Christmas, before the end of this year,” Polish deputy infrastructure minister Pawel Gancarz said at a briefing later on, speaking alongside Sikorski in Kyiv.
Ahead of Polish elections in October, the then-governing Law and Justice party lobbied for votes by leveraging fatigue over the conflict.
Poland became embroiled in a row with Ukraine over grain imports, and the outgoing government said it would restrict arms deliveries to Kyiv.
Poland’s new foreign minister on Friday urged the West to rally around Ukraine, choosing the war-torn country for his first visit abroad in a sign of support as other allies waver on aid.
“If the West mobilises, I have no doubt who will win, but it must finally start mobilising,” Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a press conference wrapping up his trip. — AFP
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