(NewsInsights.org) – Much of Europe, especially NATO members, has supported Ukraine’s efforts to repel Russia’s incursion, sending arms and humanitarian support and providing homes for displaced refugees. Yet, as the second anniversary of the Russo-Ukrainian war approaches, Polish farmers have been using their tractors to block Ukrainian grain shipments from entering or transporting through their nation.
Although farmers throughout Europe have protested EU climate-based limitations placed on their production, Poland’s protests have centered on low-cost imports from Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims only a fraction of his nation’s agricultural exports, about 5%, travel through Poland, according to The Guardian. The leader stressed how important it remains for EU and NATO countries to work together and maintain solidarity.
The protest rose from a simple blockade to the destruction of grain transported by train when farmers dumped the contents from cars after stopping the train on the tracks. They’ve also spilled grain from trucks transporting agricultural goods. The shipments that protestors sabotaged were going to Germany and the Baltic countries, not staying in Poland.
The blockades are occurring at multiple border crossings between Poland and Ukraine and have caused customs delays of more than two weeks for truck drivers, according to the BBC. The destruction of Ukraine’s port facilities on the Black Sea and continued naval aggression from Russia have made maritime transport of agricultural products nearly impossible.
However, Polish farmers resent tariff-free products flowing into their country, driving down the prices to below the cost of production. The EU eliminated tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural products after Russia attacked two years ago. However, to protect their economies, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland instituted national bans on the import of Ukrainian grains.
With ports unavailable, Ukraine has relied on ground transport methods to export agricultural products, often shipping to ports in Germany and France. Yet, the Polish farmers’ protests have effectively paralyzed as many as 2,900 cargo transports, affecting Ukraine’s economy and security. Serhiy Derkach, Ukraine’s deputy infrastructure minister, wrote that the situation had “a direct effect on our defense capabilities,” describing how trucks couldn’t deliver humanitarian aid or fuel.
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