2,000 Ukrainian trucks stranded due to Polish border blockade

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
5 Jan 2024 23:30
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The Medyka checkpoint on the Polish side resumed its blockade after 9 a.m. (07:00 GMT) yesterday, resulting in nearly 600 cargo vehicles forming a queue on Polish territory heading towards Ukraine.

Ukrainian truck drivers wait to cross from Poland back into Ukraine in Korczowa, Poland, on Thursday Dec. 7, 2023 (AP)

On Friday, the Ukrainian Border Guard Service reported that approximately 2,000 Ukrainian trucks are currently stranded at the Ukrainian-Polish border due to the reinstatement of the blockade by Polish carriers at the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint.

"Yesterday after 9 a.m. [07:00 GMT] the blocking of the Medyka checkpoint, which is on the Polish side, resumed ... As of this morning, there is a queue in the direction of Ukraine on the Polish territory of almost 600 cargo vehicles ... Another 1,400 vehicles are in queues in three directions, which are also blocked. Let me remind you that these are the directions to the checkpoints of Rava-Ruska, Krakovets and Yagodin," border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko told a Ukrainian news telethon.

On December 24, truck traffic through the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint was resumed after Polish carriers and farmers ended their blockade of the border crossing the day before.

Why is this happening?

In early November 2023, Polish truckers initiated blockades at automobile checkpoints along the border with Ukraine to express their dissatisfaction with what they perceived as the Polish government's failure to address their business losses to foreign competitors.

The core of their grievance lies in the exemption granted to Ukrainian truckers from acquiring permits to cross the Polish border since February 2022, making their services more cost-effective and appealing to customers.

The protesters are advocating for the reinstatement of restrictions on Ukrainian truckers entering Poland and a prohibition on transport companies based in Poland but financed from sources outside the EU.

In September, Poland announced that it would cease support for Ukraine if public sentiment turned against it due to Ukraine's lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against certain EU member states.

In an interview for the RAR news agency, the Polish Minister said, "We would like to support Ukraine, but for this to be possible, we must have the support of Polish citizens on this issue. In this regard, if there is no support for such actions from the Poles, it will be difficult for us to continue to support Ukraine as we have done so far."