Zelensky says he hopes for resolution to blockade at Polish border
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed hope for a resolution to the tense situation at the Polish-Ukrainian border during a press conference in Kyiv.
Trucks queuing on the bypass of Przemyśl, southeastern Poland, on November 26, waiting to cross the Polish-Ukrainian border at the Medyka checkpoint. The waiting time for departure from Poland is approximately 127 hours. The queues at the border with Ukraine are related to the protest of Polish carriers, which began on November 6.Photo: PAP/Darek Delmanowicz
Referring to an ongoing protest by Polish truck drivers and farmers at Poland’s border with Ukraine, president Zelensky told reporters: „I believe that we need to have a very balanced policy. We need to have an action plan, and we have such a plan. (…) Everything is in progress. I am confident that we will achieve everything. I think we need to give our neighbors (Poland ed.) some time.”
Since November 6, Polish truck drivers have been blocking checkpints at the border with Ukraine, demanding equal treatment for transport companies from European Union countries and Ukraine. Only a limited number of vehicles are allowed through each day, resulting in long queues on both sides of the border.
According to the Polish Minister of Infrastructure, Andrzej Adamczyk, the protests are attributed to issues on the EU side.
In the protesters’ view, the EU’s suspension of regulations that previously required Ukrainian transport companies to obtain permits to enter Poland makes Polish truck drivers feel discriminated against.
Polish transport companies argue that only humanitarian and military transports should be given preferential treatment.
Meanwhile, two Ukrainian organisations have appealed to Ukraine’s president and the chief of the European Union’s executive Commission to help unblock the border with Poland.
(ał)
Source: IAR
