(Reuters) – Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and his Polish counterpart have discussed Polish trucker protests at the Ukrainian border, his ministry in Kyiv said on Thursday, adding that it would not compromise on licenses for Ukrainian drivers.
Polish truckers blocked roads to three crossings with Ukraine on Monday, authorities said, to protest what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. One of their main demands is for Ukrainian truckers to receive a limited number of licenses.
More than 20,000 vehicles were blocked on both sides, according to the Ukrainian ministry.
“Ukraine respects the right to protest and is ready for a constructive dialogue to resolve the situation … At the same time, we note that the border-blocking by Polish protesters violates logistics routes, that already affects both the economy of Ukraine and the European Union,” the ministry said in a statement.
Ukrainian authorities said on Wednesday that protests had caused disruptions at three border crossing points, but that the other five were running normally.
The protests occurred amid an economic slowdown in Europe and after the European Union’s 2022 relaxation of regulations for Ukrainian transport companies to ease the transport of goods into and out of the Eastern European country.
Ukraine is a major global food producer, but its main Black Sea export routes have been blocked due to Russia’s invasion, and traders are trying to send as many goods as possible via rail and the road borders with Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
(Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Toby Chopra and Paul Simao)
