Poland refused to hold talks with Ukraine on the border blocked by the Poles themselves: there will be a meeting in Warsaw

Ukraine and Poland will hold talks over the blockade of the border by Polish farmers. The meeting is scheduled for March 28 in Warsaw. Representatives of the governments will take part in it. At the same time, the Polish authorities refused to hold talks at the border.

This was announced by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Onet reports. It is noted that the Polish authorities refused to hold talks on the border, which is blocked by the Poles because they believe that they will be symbolic.

"It is better to hold these talks at a technical level so that the government meeting has no symbolic value - we do not need symbolism in our relations. The whole world sees how determined we are to help Ukraine, and there is no need for further bright gestures of solidarity," Tusk said.

He emphasized that the meeting is scheduled for March 28 in Warsaw. The Prime Minister noted that to resolve the issue, "we need concrete proposals on the market and agriculture," which, according to him, requires hard work.

Poles insist on resolving the issue on their terms

At the same time, the Polish prime minister emphasized that technical negotiations at the EU level are needed to find a solution. To this end, he intends to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to discuss changes in the terms of trade with Ukraine.

However, Tusk noted: "Poland sees the solution to the issue in satisfying its interests". This, he said, will be sought from both Ukraine and the EU.

"I want to assure you that negotiations with Ukraine are ongoing. We have good relations, although there is a difference in interests. ... We will persuade both Kyiv and Brussels to agree with the Polish point of view on the situation. ... We have warned about the threat posed by trade liberalization with Ukraine. Poland has to protect its market," he summarized.

Poland receives much more from Ukraine than it gives

At the same time, Danylo Hetmantsev (Servant of the People), Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, noted that by blocking the border, the Poles are "shooting themselves in the foot" - in 2023, Poland exported $12.3 billion worth of goods to Ukraine and imported $6.6 billion from Ukraine.

"According to the Polish State Statistics Service, in 2023, Ukraine accounted for 3.2% of all merchandise exports from Poland. According to this indicator, we were in 7th place among our trading partners, overtaking the United States and such EU members as Spain, Slovakia, and Hungary. At the same time, the growth dynamics of Polish exports to Ukraine in 2023 was the highest among the top ten countries that are the largest trading partners," the MP emphasized.

Moreover, he noted, the actual balance of trade with Poland for Ukraine is much more negative than official statistics show - "due to underestimation of imports." While Ukraine, "according to their statistics, is a bigger partner for Poland as an importing country."

"In the case of blocking automobile customs crossings, this is a real shot in the foot. Because our bilateral trade is generally more profitable for Poland, especially given the current asymmetric restrictions on our agricultural exports (where we have already agreed to compromises)," the MP stated.

Poles risk losing their jobs

At the same time, Polish Minister of Agriculture Czeslaw Sekerski warned farmers protesting on the border with Ukraine that a complete closure of the border could turn against them. In particular, this could result in

• stopping Polish exports of goods to Ukraine;
• loss of many jobs.

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