Tusk after talks with Shmyhal: We are close to finding a solution

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, after talks on March 28 in Warsaw with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal, announced progress in resolving the problems of agricultural imports and road transportation. He said this at a joint press conference with Shmyhal.

Tusk noted that “we have made a step forward in agriculture”.

“We are looking for solutions that may not be completely satisfactory to everyone, but which will protect the basic interests of Polish farmers and producers – and, on the other hand, Ukrainian ones. We are looking for, and we are close to finding a solution,” Tusk said.

He added that “we are close” to ensuring that Ukrainian transit through Poland does not create problems for the Polish market.

Tusk added that he had discussed with Shmyhal solutions at the EU level regarding Ukrainian agricultural imports, which “may not be admired by the Ukrainian side.”

“But we are looking for methods that would not be painful for anyone. I am convinced that thanks to our approach, all parties will feel understanding,” the Polish Prime Minister added.

The same applies to future road transportation, Tusk said.

“There was also a conflict of interest here. I am glad that we have found an understanding on the direction of our actions. It’s about ensuring that the work opportunities for Polish and Ukrainian carriers are at the same level of requirements, so that there is no unfair competition,” he said.

“This means a little bit of effort on the Ukrainian side, a little bit of understanding and patience on the Polish side, but we are on the straight and narrow to ensure that competition from Ukrainian carriers is not painful, as it has been for Polish carriers so far,” Tusk said.

On Thursday, intergovernmental consultations were held in Warsaw with the participation of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

On the eve of the talks between Tusk and Shmyhal, Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna told the European Parliament that Ukraine currently has no dialogue with Poland on unblocking the border.

Earlier, Tusk had expressed hope that the Polish and Ukrainian sides would reach an agreement on agricultural issues before the government meeting in Warsaw, but this did not happen.

Tags: Ukraine, Poland