Polish Truckers to Suspend Border Blockade Until March

Polish truckers who have been halting Ukrainian trucks at the border in protest of Warsaw’s entry policy toward Ukrainian drivers after Russia’s full-scale invasion, have tentatively promised a temporary reprieve.

Starting at 13:00 tomorrow, Polish truckers will suspend their 3-month-long border blockade with Ukraine until Mar. 1 after reaching an agreement on “certain conditions” with the government.

Tomasz Borkowski, a representative of the Committee to Protect Transporters and Transport Employers, said it’s not the end of the protest but merely a suspension for the new government to work out a deal.

“We agreed [on] certain conditions, we will give the government time to work as it is a new government,” he said.

He did not specify what those conditions were.

The blockade started on Nov. 6 last year when Polish truckers called for the return of the permit system for Ukrainian truckers to curb excessive competition.

The permit system, which grants permits for Ukrainian drivers to operate in the EU, was lifted following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The truck traffic remains one of Ukraine’s main export methods following Russia’s naval blockade imposed on Ukrainian ports, which severely undermined Ukraine’s ability to export its products.

However, protestors claimed that some products destined for other countries ended up in Poland and led to competition with locals.

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The blockade affected three checkpoints between Ukraine and Poland: Krakovets-Korczowa, Yahodyn-Dorohusk and Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne, where only one to three trucks were allowed to pass per hour and led to queues of trucks that stretched for miles.

It was reported that thousands of trucks were stuck at the border, with a few fatalities recorded as truckers waited to cross the border.

In December, ministers from Ukraine and Poland met and discussed potential solutions to resolve the issue.

Polish farmers started similar protests in support and blocked off the Medyka border crossing with Ukraine, but it was suspended on Jan. 7.

The truckers’ blockade also sparked a series of similar blockades in other EU countries bordering Ukraine, including Slovakia and Romania.