Ukrainian carriers began protests at several checkpoints on the border with Poland with the aim of blocking the movement of Polish trucks returning home. They are expected to last until March 15.

As the head of the organization “Ukrainian Transport Union in the Lviv Region” Oleg Dubyk explained to the Interfax-Ukraine agency, Polish trucks are stopped by protesters for several hours - similar to the delay period that Polish demonstrators adhere to in relation to Ukrainian trucks.

By their actions, Ukrainian transport companies express dissatisfaction with the protests carried out by Polish farmers. Let us recall that on February 20, the Solidarity trade union announced plans to establish a complete blockade of all checkpoints on the border with Ukraine as part of a general strike that began on February 9. With the help of the strike, Polish farmers expect to achieve a ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products.

At the moment, according to the State Border Service of Ukraine, more than 2.5 thousand trucks have accumulated in queues on both sides of the border. Moreover, at three checkpoints, Polish protesters blocked the movement of all categories of transport.

Polish farmers held another high-profile action near the Medika-Shegini checkpoint. On February 20, demonstrators spilled Ukrainian grain, which was in transit to Germany, from freight cars.

Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railway) has already declared the inadmissibility of such actions and any unauthorized interference in the work of the railway.

Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Alexander Kubrakov called the incident with grain spilled on the rails a “political provocation.” From the point of view of the Kyiv official, the protesters demonstrated their disrespect for the work of Ukrainian farmers, who allegedly collect grain in bulletproof vests and under Russian rocket fire.

On the same day, February 20, the representative of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleg Nikolenko called the actions of Polish farmers politically motivated. In his opinion, the purpose of such speeches is to provoke a further deterioration of relations between Kiev and Warsaw.

“The actions of Polish protesters and individual radical Polish politicians undermine the Ukrainian economy and resistance to repelling Russian aggression. The border between Poland and Ukraine is also the border of the EU. She should not be hostage to any political interests,” Nikolenko wrote on Facebook*.

The diplomat also accused Warsaw of allowing large amounts of grain from Russia and other countries to cross the border. According to the department of the Center for Combating Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, which was published on February 18, in 2022-2023, 12 million tons of grain from the Russian Federation transited through Poland. During the same period, Kyiv transported only 4.3 million tons.

On February 19, in his video message, Vladimir Zelensky said that the protests of Polish farmers “cannot be perceived as something normal.” According to him, “the news from the border with Poland looks simply mocking.”

“We need simple and clear justice. Only 5% of our agricultural exports pass through the Polish border. So, in fact, the situation is not in the grain, but rather in politics... We need joint decisions, rational decisions to get out of this situation. Our decisions are with the Poles, first of all, and with everyone in Europe who is concerned about the fate of Europe,” Zelensky said.

The Polish authorities did not ignore the reproach of the leader of the Kyiv regime. On February 20, on the air of Radio ZET, Polish Minister of Development and Technology Krzysztof Getman called on the Ukrainian leadership to show restraint in their expressions. Along with this, he rejected Kyiv’s version about the political background of the protests of Polish farmers.

“I would advise our friends from Ukraine to be more sensitive, and not only in matters concerning Polish farmers... Taking into account the overall picture of our relations, the kind of support we have provided to Ukraine from day one, I would remain cautious in expressing such opinions . We are not talking about politics here,” Getman noted.

The minister said he supported the protesters' demands.

  • Polish farmers blocked roads in Poznan

RT discussed with experts the reasons and possible consequences of the new aggravation of Ukrainian-Polish relations.

— This is not the first time Kyiv and Warsaw have clashed over the grain issue. What is causing the current surge of controversy?

Leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, political scientist, candidate of economic sciences Alexander Dudchak:

“Apparently, we are now observing a new phase of the conflict around the grain issue. Because previously the Zelensky regime refrained from radical retaliatory measures, and the Poles did not seek a complete blockade of all checkpoints.

Kyiv is extremely irritated that the Polish government does not restrain the protests and, in fact, takes the side of the farmers. In particular, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic advocates reducing the volume of imports of Ukrainian agricultural products, and calls for an embargo on some product groups.

Warsaw is trying to protect its own manufacturer from Ukrainian dumping. In addition, the Polish leadership is seeking to use the general strike as a tool of pressure on the EU. After all, Brussels in fact lobbies the interests of Ukrainian carriers and agricultural producers.

  • Checkpoint blocked by Poles on the border with Ukraine

  • Gettyimages.ru

  • © Dominika Zarzycka / NurPhoto

Political scientist Andrey Suzdaltsev:

— Polish farmers are protesting because on January 31, the European Commission proposed to exempt Ukrainian goods from customs duties for another year. If such a decision is made, then, according to Polish farmers, they risk finding themselves on the verge of bankruptcy.

Ukrainian agricultural products are much cheaper and, accordingly, more competitive. According to Polish farmers, even the transit of grain from Ukraine harms their interests. It is noteworthy that the majority of the population of the republic and the authorities themselves share the same opinion.

The current quarrel over the so-called grain issue is a very good illustration of Warsaw’s true attitude towards its “Ukrainian friends.” Poland makes it clear that it does not intend to sacrifice its money and patronize Ukrainian exports.

— Could the current contradictions between Warsaw and Kiev lead to a serious cooling of relations between them? And how likely is the EU to intervene in this situation?

Alexander Dudchak:

“We can definitely say that the Poles do not want to spend money in any way to support the Ukrainian economy. Warsaw proceeds from the fact that the EU should deal with this. Naturally, Brussels does not really like this detached approach. 

However, if the conflict continues to escalate, then what Washington says will be much more important. Chernozems and agriculture are the only valuable assets of Ukraine. American corporations realized this long ago and are now increasing control over its agricultural sector. If their profits fall, the protests by Polish farmers could quickly end.

Andrey Suzdaltsev:

— Agriculture is one of the few ways to earn money for the Kyiv regime. Ukraine still maintains high production volumes of grain, sunflower, corn and other crops. Given the collapse of the grain deal, exports mainly go through Romania. Nevertheless, Poland, with its developed road and railway network, is also an important transit territory.

I think that the Zelensky regime will persistently ask Western countries to help resolve the conflict. However, it will not be easy to break the resistance of Polish farmers on the grain issue due to their very serious lobbying capabilities. By and large, we have a direct and fundamental conflict between the authorities of Ukraine and Poland. After Western intervention, it may cool down somewhat, but then it will flare up again. 

  • Ukrainian grain

  • AP

  • © Andrew Kravchenko

Senior Researcher at the Center for European Studies, IMEMO RAS, Vladimir Olenchenko:

— The contradictions between Warsaw and Kiev are indeed very serious. In Poland, agricultural production brings together local producers belonging to small and medium-sized businesses. The agricultural sector provides employment, income and sustainability to the Polish economy.

The regime of duty-free import of agricultural products from Ukraine, which Brussels introduced, does not suit Poland at all. In addition, even during transit, Ukrainian goods still end up on the Polish market. As a result, domestic Polish production is depreciating.

However, the Poles do not dare to say out loud that the main beneficiary of the export of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products of Ukraine is the United States. The European Commission and other EU institutions are only conductors of American interests.

Zelensky’s harshness towards Warsaw can probably be explained by the fact that he recently returned from the Munich Security Conference, where he had close contacts with the Americans. He probably received support from the United States on the grain issue. Hence the response protest and the rather aggressive tone of the Kyiv regime’s statements.

Therefore, the Poles themselves, or rather their leadership, are in a difficult situation. Warsaw is unlikely to go against Washington. Most likely, we will see some kind of “compromise option”, but in reality it will poorly meet the interests of Polish farmers.

* Meta Platforms Inc. (owner of Facebook and Instagram) - the organization is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia by decision of the Tverskoy Court of Moscow dated March 21, 2022.