Editor’s note: The transcript of this interview has been edited for length and clarity. Poland holds a special position among Kyiv's partners — with a shared history of Russian oppression and conquest, its leaders have left no room for doubt that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine represented an existential threat
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The protest follows a series of demonstrations by Polish farmers against Ukrainian agricultural imports after the EU lifted tariffs on goods from Ukraine in 2022.
The protest follows a series of demonstrations by Polish farmers against Ukrainian agricultural imports since the start of the full-scale war.
Polish farmers, who staged a protest in the village of Medyka and blocked the Sheghini border crossing with Ukraine, have suspended their blockade, Ukraine’s State Customs Service reported on Nov. 24.
Deputy Infrastructure Minister Serhii Derkach said that no permits are required for bilateral transportation, as the visa-free transport regime is still in effect between Ukraine and the European Union.
Polish protesters have resumed their blockade at the Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne border crossing over Ukrainian agricultural imports, Ukraine's Border Guard Service said on June 4.
Poland has suspended talks with Ukraine regarding the Polish farmer protests at the countries' shared border over corruption suspicions involving former Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi, Polish Deputy Agriculture Minister Michal Kolodziejczak told the media outlet Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
The farmers began blocking trucks at several border crossings in February in protest of Ukrainian agricultural imports and the EU's Green Deal.
Polish protesters plan to block the Korczowa-Krakovets border crossing from April 18 for two days, Ukraine's State Customs Service reported on April 17.
Polish farmers protesting at the Polish-Ukrainian border have lifted their blockade at the Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv crossing point, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service announced on April 16.
The European Commission is reportedly considering new restrictions on Ukrainian carriers transporting goods through Poland, Polish media outlet RMF24 reported on April 12, citing its undisclosed sources.
Polish protesters have completely lifted their blockade at the Medyka-Shehyni crossing at the Polish-Ukrainian border, Ukraine's Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko told Hromadske on March 21.
Ukrainian consul in Poland Serhii Tsaruk visited the Dorohusk crossing on March 11 and reported that he did not see any blocked buses, following conflicting reports that Polish protesters were preventing buses from crossing the border.
Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said earlier on March 11 that "protesters and police are stopping buses going to and from Poland. Passengers are being held without any explanation."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk failed to reach an agreement with Polish farmers to end protests against Ukrainian agricultural imports during a meeting on March 9, Polskie Radio reported.
Polish farmers, agrarian workers, foresters, and hunters staged a general strike in Warsaw on March 6 in protest against Ukrainian agricultural imports and EU environmental policies.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal pointed out that economically, the ongoing trade disputes and border blockade cost Poland more than Ukraine. Only 5% of Ukrainian agricultural exports are transported by road, with 90% being shipped out via maritime routes, he noted.
Warsaw is conducting informal negotiations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on granting Polish farmers possible exemptions to the EU's Green Deal, Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Szejna said on March 3.
All six checkpoints at the Ukrainian-Polish border remain blocked due to the ongoing Polish farmers’ protests, State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on March 3 on national television.
Polish farmers have completely blocked the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing around 1 p.m. on March 1, State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on national television.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Feb. 27 that Poland may expand the list of banned Ukrainian goods.
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Warsaw on Feb. 27 to join the Polish farmers' protest against Ukrainian agricultural imports and EU environmental policies.
Starting early next month, carriers from Poland's Lublin and Podkarpackie regions want to relaunch their protests at the Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska, Dorohusk-Yahodyn, and Krakovets-Korczowa crossings and possibly also at the Medyka-Shehyni checkpoint, RMF24 reported.
The crops, en route to the port of Gdansk and then to other countries, were dumped at a Polish railway station near Bydgoszcz, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Feb. 25.
Polish Consul General in Lviv Eliza Dzwonkiewicz said that her criticism is not aimed against the farmers' demands but against the form of the protest.
Ukrainian carriers plan to launch protests on Feb. 15 at the Dorohusk-Yahodyn border crossing with Poland in response to ongoing blockade by Polish farmers, Suspilne reported on Feb. 14.
Polish farmers have again taken to the border with neighboring Ukraine in their new month-long strike against EU policies and unfair competition from abroad. The Solidarity trade union announced on Feb. 9 that it would begin blocking roads and border crossings with Ukraine until March 10. The group then announced
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