The Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, stated that border crossing points with Ukraine are critical infrastructure and should not be blocked by protesters. He made this statement during a press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Warsaw.
The Polish minister noted that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Poland is responsible for border issues. At the same time, he agreed that the crossing points and access routes to them "are critical infrastructure and should not be places for protests."
"We need to closely examine the scale of the protests, for which our courts issue permits," said Sikorski.
As reported, on November 23, Polish farmers blocked the Medyka-Shehyni crossing point. Trucks piled up on both sides. The blockade was lifted the following evening.
However, this time, the blockade of the border with Ukraine was not related to Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU. Polish farmers protested for two reasons: the failure to maintain the level of agricultural tax in 2024 at the 2023 level, and concerns related to the EU's signing of a free trade agreement with the MERCOSUR countries of South America. Polish farmers also stated that if no agreement is reached, they plan to protest around the clock until the end of the year.
However, one of the protest leaders emphasized that the cessation of the blockade of the border crossing points with Ukraine is temporary, and the protests may resume in December and be much larger.