Polish, Ukrainian officials to meet in March. Before then, Warsaw will change border procedures to ease movement
A meeting between the governments of Poland and Ukraine will take place on March 28 in Warsaw. Meanwhile, the Polish authorities have decided to include border crossings with Ukraine, certain sections of roads and railways in the list of critical infrastructure. This should help unblock traffic, announced Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
According to the Prime Minister of Poland, the decision to update the list of critical infrastructure should guarantee 100% that military aid, equipment, ammunition, humanitarian and medical assistance will reach the Ukrainian side without delay.
Tusk explained that this would involve a different type of organizational regime at checkpoints and on access roads and tracks to the border with Ukraine.
This decision to update the list is a matter of "the next few hours."
Tusk called for a domestic and international debate to divide the issue of supporting Ukraine and protecting Polish farmers from "the negative consequences of trade liberalization with Ukraine."
"We will look for solutions for Polish farmers, both internally and through the use of national funds, as well as through further negotiations with Ukraine and European institutions," Tusk said.
He also commented on the anti-Ukrainian slogans that were heard during the farmers' protests.
"I will never agree with one thing – we cannot allow those who openly and shamelessly support Putin, serve Russian propaganda, and discredit the Polish state, us Poles, to take advantage of the farmers' protests on the border," he said.
Background
On February 21, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the border amid the blockade of Ukrainian trucks. He also said that he himself was ready to come to the border, where the entire Ukrainian government – from "logistics to the agricultural sector", and the defense minister, in particular – would be present.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine cannot accept what is happening at the border, including the appearance of "outright pro-Putin slogans." Therefore, he seeks to resolve the situation jointly and fairly.
Polish carriers, and later farmers, began blocking the movement of Ukrainian trucks in the fall of 2023. The reason for the strike is "excessive competition" after the adoption of the "transport visa-free regime" between Ukraine and the EU. Polish farmers are also protesting to get the European Green Deal eased, as well as to receive more subsidies, grants, and compensation.
Due to the blockade, the Ukrainian economy has already suffered 1 billion euros in losses, and Poland's economic losses are even greater. In addition, three Ukrainian drivers have died in Poland.
The leader of the Lublin branch of the far-right Confederation party, Rafał Mekler, is actively involved in the protests and their coverage. At one of the rallies, a poster calling on Putin to "deal" with the authorities of Ukraine and the European Union, as well as a Soviet flag with a hammer and sickle, was seen. Polish police opened a case over the incident. The Polish Foreign Ministry said that "anti-Ukrainian tirades praising Putin" could have been organized by pro-Russian agents or "useful idiots."