Ukraine says Polish officials a no-show at border to discuss blockade

A Ukrainian government delegation visited the border with EU member Poland on Friday amid protests and blockades of cargoes from Ukrainian producers by Polish farmers, but the prime minister said it was not met by any officials from Warsaw.

A Ukrainian government delegation visited the border with EU member Poland on Friday amid protests and blockades of cargoes from Ukrainian producers by Polish farmers, but the prime minister said it was not met by any officials from Warsaw. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had earlier asked Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Polish President Andrzej Duda and EU officials to come to the Ukrainian-Polish border to discuss the farmers' protests, but this request was not accepted.

"The Ukrainian government is here (on the border) today," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Telegram. "But, unfortunately... a meeting with Polish officials did not take place." "The blockade hits the entire Polish-Ukrainian trade and the economy of our countries. Not only Ukraine is losing from it, but Polish entrepreneurs who export goods worth $12 billion annually to our market are losing from it."

The Polish prime minister's office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Farmers across Europe have been demonstrating against constraints placed on them by EU measures to tackle climate change, as well as rising costs and what they say is unfair competition, particularly from Ukraine after an EU decision in 2022 to waive duties on Ukrainian food imports to help it following the Russian invasion.

Many Poles support the protests, creating a difficult balancing act for Tusk as he tries to address their concerns while maintaining the government's support for Ukraine in the war with Russia, which marks its third anniversary on Saturday. "I know that the protesting farmers are not anti-Ukrainian, there may be one or two incidents but we will deal with that," Tusk said on Friday.

In a bid to bring the reality of war home to protesters on the Polish side, the Ukrainian Agrarian Council (UAC) said its members had brought farm machinery destroyed by Russia to the border. Polish police said they were investigating an incident in which a load of rapeseed was spilled from three train trucks carrying a cargo from Ukraine. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the load was damaged by unidentified people and those responsible must be held accountable.

Police press officer Ewa Czyz told Reuters officers were notified of the incident at a station near the Dorohusk crossing. Ukraine's Kubrakov wrote on X that the cargo had been heading for Hamburg in Germany.

"Whether it is military aggression or damaged grain, criminals must be punished so that others are not tempted to repeat them," he said. Polish media meanwhile showed footage of farmers blocking a road leading to Pyrzowice airport in southern Poland.

Polish farmers have stepped up their protests this week by blocking almost all traffic with Ukraine.