Around 3,000 trucks stuck at the Ukrainian border due to Polish drivers' blockade
About 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks were stuck on the Polish side of the border as of Sunday morning due to a more than 10-day blockade by Polish truckers, Ukrainian authorities said, quoted by Reuters.
Polish truckers earlier this month blocked roads to three border crossings with Ukraine to protest against what they see as government inaction over a loss of business to foreign competitors since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukrainian officials said last week Kyiv and Warsaw had again failed to reach an agreement to stop the protest.
"For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Thousands of people are forced to live in difficult conditions with limited food, water and fuel," Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Ukraine's Prime Minister, said on a social network.
For over 10 days, Ukrainian drivers have been blocked at the Polish border. Thousands of people are forced to live in difficult conditions with limited food, water, and fuel.
— Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) November 19, 2023
Ukraine cares about its people wherever they are. Our team has already gone to the border and is… pic.twitter.com/kzn1KGLrug
According to the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry, an average of 40,000-50,000 trucks cross the border with Poland per month via eight existing crossings, twice as many as before the war. Most of the goods are carried by Ukraine's transport fleet.
Now only a few vehicles per hour are going through the Polish border at blocked checkpoints, Ukrainian border guards say.
Ukrainian grain brokers said last week Ukraine's shipments of food by road decreased 2.7% in the first 13 days of November due to difficulties on the Polish border caused by a drivers' strike.