Ukrainian govt delegation to visit Polish border amid protests

In the latest incident, a load of rapeseed was spilled from train trucks by unidentified people in Poland near the Dorohusk border crossing on Friday. Farmers across Europe have been demonstrating against constraints placed on them by European Union 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.

A Ukrainian government delegation was due to visit the border with Poland on Friday amid farmers' protests and blockades of cross-border cargoes from Ukrainian producers, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. In the latest incident, a load of rapeseed was spilled from train trucks by unidentified people in Poland near the Dorohusk border crossing on Friday.

Farmers across Europe have been demonstrating against constraints placed on them by European Union 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. Zelenskiy told a press conference in Kyiv that a working group led by the prime minister would be on the border with Poland on Friday.

"Whether there will be Polish colleagues - it is their personal decision," he said. Zelenskiy had earlier asked Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Polish President Andrzej Duda and European Union officials to come to the Ukrainian-Polish border to discuss the farmers' protests, but this request was not accepted.

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. SPILLED RAPESEED

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.