Kyiv and Warsaw again failed to reach an agreement to stop a week-long Polish truckers’ protest at Ukraine’s border, a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday.
Polish drivers have been blocking roads to three crossings, in what they call a response to government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
They insist on the return of a limited number of licences for Ukrainian truckers, a demand Kyiv said it would not consider.
“Negotiations have not yet led to anything, and Polish carriers continue to block three main directions,” Ukrainian border guard spokesman Andriy Demchenko said in televised comments.
Another round of negotiations took place on Monday, the Ukrainian Deputy Infrastructure Minister said. Ukraine was trying to find a compromise, but the situation was complicated, minister Serhiy Derkach said.
“The absurdity of the demands is that the Polish protesters do not appeal to their government, but want Ukraine to apply to the EU for licences,” Derkach said on Facebook.
Polish truckers blocked three major border crossings with Ukraine on Monday, protesting “unfair competition” from Ukrainian lorry drivers. https://t.co/7JzYhp4Zv1
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) November 8, 2023