Polish blockade of Ukrainian trucks continues

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 18 Dec 2023 by Alex Teddy
The Polish blockades of Ukrainian trucks continues. Polish truckers have been blocking Ukrainian trucks from entering or leaving Poland since November 6. Ukraine needs to export and import goods via Poland. The Polish authorities have done very little to stop this illegal blockade. Polish truckers allow through trucks of any other nationality. Kyiv is not being too strident in calling for this issue to be resolved. It really needs Polish goodwill.  Poland is an arterial route for Ukrainian exports. Ukraine can also export overland via Romania, Slovakia and Hungary. Some truckers in Slovakia and Hungary have also blocked Ukrainian trucks. However, this is only on a few roads, and Ukraine is mostly exporting goods successfully through these countries.  Ukraine has successfully exported some grain via the Black Sea since Russia ended the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022. But ships are still cautious about this and the volumes sent by sea are nowhere near as high as they were before. Poland perceives Ukraine as its first line of defense against Russia. But the Poles also perceive Ukraine as an economic rival. Ukraine is the poorest country in Europe. Its low wages means its drivers undercut the Poles. Ukrainian food exports are driving down the sale prices for Polish farmers. Almost 5% of the population of Poland is Ukrainian. Most of them are refugees who arrived since 2022. Russia and Poland fought several times over the centuries. Eastern Poland was Russian ruled for 150 years. But Poland has not forgotten that Ukrainian ultra nationalists were extremely anti-Polish in the early 20th century. 

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