The situation on the Polish-Ukrainian border, where the blockade continues, threatens the security of both countries, and the figures clearly show that the statements of Polish agricultural associations about the oversaturation of their market are unfair. And the Ukrainian side hopes that the Polish government and our Polish colleagues will finally find a way out of this situation. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Community, Territorial and Infrastructure Development Oleksandr Kubrakov in an interview with the Polish edition of Onet, writes UNN.
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Kubrakov cited figures, noting that currently only 0.37 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products (about 5% of the total) passed through Poland in January, while in 2022, about 1 million tons of agricultural products were exported through Poland per month. "There have been no complaints for almost two years. Why did they appear now? I think it is very likely that the answer is political. After all, the figures clearly demonstrate the unfairness of the statements of Polish agricultural associations about the oversaturation of their market," the Deputy Prime Minister said.
"And now, when attempts have begun to block buses and passenger trains, it's definitely not about rational decisions. This makes an already difficult situation worse. This is being used by our common enemy, the Russians, who are doing everything they can to divide us," Kubrakov said.
"It is important that the Polish law enforcement agencies control the situation and can restore order. That is why we initiated an urgent conversation with the head of the National Security Bureau, Jacek Severa. This issue concerns the security of both countries," Kubrakov said.
At the same time, he pointed out that "the dialog is taking place at all levels." "The European Commission also understands the seriousness of the situation, but most of the issues are still on the Polish side. At the same time, it should be noted that the situation may get out of control. It is becoming more and more serious. So we hope that the Polish government and our Polish colleagues will finally find a way out of this situation," the Vice Prime Minister said.
Kubrakov also mentioned the situation in Medyka, where protesters poured Ukrainian grain onto the tracks, noting that this was "incomprehensible to us." "These agricultural products were being transported to Germany. All Ukrzaliznytsia wagons at the border are checked by Polish regulatory authorities and sealed. This prevents Ukrainian grain from entering the Polish market," he said.
Ukrainian grain is scattered along the tracks... It is often harvested during rocket attacks, despite the danger of mines, and Ukrainian farmers go out to harvest wearing bulletproof vests. Unfortunately, this is our reality
He also recalled that before the last blockade, before the visit of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to Ukraine, the Polish government signed a memorandum with the protesters. "It stated that the carriers would not block the border until March 1. And we had about 3 weeks when there were no queues at the border. With functioning ports, the existing border infrastructure can handle the volume of exports and imports. This only proves that all the obstacles are completely artificial. To say that the electronic queue system does not work is fiction," Kubrakov said.
Now, he said, Polish agricultural unions have joined the effort instead of carriers. "We hope that the Polish authorities and the Polish government will understand our situation. We are still at war. And the protesters are blocking not only agricultural products, they are blocking all goods, fuel, defense products. (...) The situation is critical. And I hope that the entire Polish government will take it as seriously as possible," the Vice Prime Minister said.
"I think we have many more positive stories of cooperation, and we also have a common enemy. And he hopes that we will start arguing. I repeat, we are definitely more united than divided. And we definitely have a common European future," Kubrakov summarized.