Polish carriers may go on strike from November, as a result of which all checkpoints on the Ukrainian border will be blocked, the association of Ukrainian carmakers Ukravtoprom said in its Telegram channel on 30 October.
As noted, the strikes of carriers are expected on 3 November. They are linked to the growing competition of international transport between Ukraine and the European Union (EU).
“If earlier they [Polish carriers] were limited to one checkpoint, now they plan to block all available entrances from Ukraine. The action is planned for two months,” the statement said.
The first meeting of participants will be held near the checkpoint “Korchova”, it was agreed by the local authorities.
Earlier, on 1 October, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on Kiev to be grateful for providing asylum for millions of Ukrainians.
He pointed out that Warsaw would continue to protect the interests of its farmers by banning the import of Ukrainian grain.
On 15 September, the European Commission lifted restrictions on imports of four types of agricultural products from Ukraine, which had been in place since May.
Poland, Slovakia and Hungary decided to unilaterally extend the import ban. These countries are concerned that the cheap Ukrainian grain flooding the European market is hurting local farmers who are unable to withstand this competition.
The Izvestiya news and analysis website reported that on 18 September Ukraine filed a lawsuit with the WTO against Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
According to the head of the Ukrainian Economics Ministry, Yuliya Sviridenko, it was crucial to show that the states do not have the right to unilaterally ban grain imports.
In turn, Minister for EU Affairs Szymon Szinkowski said that many Poles are in favour of cancelling aid to the Nezalezhnaya:
Kiev’s actions do not impress us, but they make a certain impression on Polish public opinion. And this hurts Ukraine.
Polish Sejm deputy Krzysztof Bosak allegedly calculated Poland’s spending on its neighbour. According to him, Kiev owes Warsaw 101bn zloty ($23.5bn).
And Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller said: Warsaw will stop providing aid to Ukrainian refugees next year.
In particular, resettled Ukrainian refugees will no longer receive family allowances, access to free school education and medicine will be restricted, and they will be forced to apply for residence and work permits.
Another government representative, Anna Schmidt, said that Poland had already spent 2.4bn zloty (550m dollars) on payments to refugees.
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