The option of closing the border was not mentioned during the talks with Poland, – Ukraine’s representative Kachka

Ukraine and Poland are working on a constructive solution to unblock the border and take into account the interests of farmers in both countries.

This was announced by Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture and Trade Representative of Ukraine.

“Four hours of very intense negotiations with the Ministers of Development and Technology of Poland Krzysztof Getman and Agriculture Czeslaw Szekierksi. One of the most intense and intensive meetings in my professional life. We were able to find a common language and are working on a constructive solution to unblock the border and take into account the interests of farmers in Poland and Ukraine. It is not easy, but it is possible,” he wrote on Facebook.

Kachka noted that the approaches proposed by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal “are important for building a possible understanding.”

“During the four hours of negotiations, the option of closing the border was not mentioned. As Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said quite clearly, this would be a very painful decision for our economies. To stop even for a day the trade, which in annual terms amounts to $11.7 billion (and according to Polish statistics, even more), is too painful. Not to mention transit, which is vital for Ukraine,” Kachka said.

He added that he could not provide details yet, but assured that “a constructive solution is possible.”

“Therefore, I encourage everyone to read Donald Tusk’s statement fully and carefully – with all the elements of rhetoric and punctuation. News headlines can be misleading. At this moment, more than ever, let’s stay calm and work hard,” Kaczka said.

As a reminder, Polish Radio RMF quoted Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk as saying that Warsaw is negotiating with Kyiv on a temporary ban on the movement of goods across the border. Commenting on the prospects of the meeting, Tusk said: “I am not the prime minister for Poland to leave the EU or to block the border with Ukraine.” He also emphasized that this temporary measure “would be painful for both sides.”

Since February 9, 2024, farmers have been protesting on the roads leading to checkpoints near the border with Ukraine in Poland. The main demands of the protesters are a ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products and Poland’s rejection of the European Green Deal. As a result, some Ukrainian agricultural products are only going to Poland in transit. During this time, there have been five cases of Ukrainian agricultural products spilling out of freight cars onto the tracks or from trucks on the roads.

Tags: Ukraine, Poland, agricultural products, restrictions