Border blockade: Ukraine proposes to open additional checkpoints for empty trucks

Ukraine has suggested that Poland open an additional checkpoint or several crossing points for letting empty trucks enter the country.

Source: Interfax-Ukraine, citing Taras Vysotskyi, First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Details: The official said losses from the border blockade have reached hundreds of millions of hryvnias.

Vysotskyi noted that the idea of opening one or more crossing points for empty vehicles is currently being discussed with Poland.

The deputy minister believes this will galvanise truck traffic in both directions, improving the performance of both Ukrainian and Polish hauliers.

Regarding the results of the trilateral talks between Ukraine, Poland and the European Commission on 23 November, the official said the vision of Ukraine and the European Commission coincided – the rally organised by Polish hauliers did not pursue the stated goals.

"We see cases when humanitarian cargo is not allowed through. Therefore, this is a violation of basic international conventions regarding the free movement of critical goods," Vysotskyi noted.

This argument will be presented during the talks between the Ukrainian and Polish governments on Saturday, 25 November.

The final amount of damage caused by the blockade is challenging to estimate, but reports suggest it is already in the hundreds of millions of hryvnias.

"We hope that it will eventually come to an end, and the losses will not reach millions of euros," Vysotskyi said.

Background: As of 09:00 on 24 November, three areas on the Polish-Ukrainian border were still blocked: Yahodyn, Rava-Ruska and Krakivets. Polish border guards reported that 2,300 trucks are queuing up to enter Ukraine.

Polish farmers who joined the blockade of hauliers on the border with Ukraine plan to extend their protest until 3 January.

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