In the latest escalation of the ongoing Polish-Ukrainian farm imports dispute, three trucks carrying a cargo of rapeseed en route to Hamburg, Germany, were reportedly opened by unknown perpetrators at the Dorohusk railway station on the Ukraine Poland border.
Ukrainian official Oleksandr Kubrakov published the photo of the alleged incident on Twitter and said it took place this morning, and that “criminals must be punished” to deter similar incidents from happening again.
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“I will only say that unpunished crimes always return. Whether it is military aggression or damaged grain. Criminals must be punished so that others are not tempted to repeat them,” said Kubrakov.
This is the latest of at least three known malicious produce spillage incidents that arose from the Polish farmers' protest, which started in November 2023 and escalated on Feb. 20, leading to a full border blockade between Ukraine and Poland.
The escalation on Feb. 20 came after the EU’s decision to extend the tariff exemption for Ukraine to the anger of many Polish farmers, who said Ukrainian products have been undercutting the domestic market with their low costs and high volume.
However, the issue itself was likely a culmination of different factors, including the inaction of the Polish government and private individuals who exploited the EU’s softening restrictions.
A recent Kyiv Post Op-Ed addressed the developments in detail, where it was reported that Ukrainian grain imports to Poland increased by more than 16,000po percent after Russia’s full-scale invasion took place.
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Polish and Ukrainian officials have vowed to take measures to de-escalate the crisis through dialogue.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a meeting between the officials of both nations on the border to address the issue, to which Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk refused, hinting the border meeting to be a largely “symbolic” move and adding that a government meeting will occur on March 28 in Warsaw instead.
“The whole world sees how determined we are to help Ukraine, and there is no need for further showy gestures of solidarity. We need concrete proposals on market and agriculture issues. This does not require goodwill but does require hard work,” Tusk said, according to the Polish news outlet Onet.
Tusk also said yesterday that border crossings with Ukraine are being added to a list of critical infrastructure to ensure the traffic of all military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine remains unimpeded.
Both the Ukrainian and Polish governments have maintained the stance that Russia’s invasion is ultimately responsible for the situation and that tension between the two is being exploited by Moscow to its advantage.
“I don't need to convince anyone that our fates also hang in the balance. Every attack in the public space, supporting [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's narrative, is high treason. We will not tolerate this in any way,” Tusk said at a Thursday press conference.
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