Polish protesters at border block humanitarian aid for Ukraine - consul

Despite the statements of Polish protesters about the unimpeded passage of trucks with humanitarian aid for Ukraine and fuel tankers, the latter stand in lines at the border.

Consul General of Ukraine in Lublin Oleh Kuts said this in an interview with Ukrainian Radio, Ukrinform reports.

According to him, the day before, on November 25, he and Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Serhiy Derkach met with Ukrainian drivers and Polish protesters near the Dorohusk checkpoint.

Kuts stated the need to stay at the border blocking points "to record, see, and listen".

"Despite the protesters' claims that humanitarian aid or fuel tankers are allowed to go through the line, we see cases where they are in line. In addition, the Polish press can also talk to our guys, who tell us everything. They also support everyone's right to protest, but not by blocking the border, especially today, when there was such an unprecedented attack on Kyiv, when the enemy is hitting our critical infrastructure. It is of utmost importance for us that our energy sector receives the necessary assistance, and all this is now stuck in queues," the Consul General emphasized.

According to him, there are also cases of fuel tankers stuck there.

Kuts noted that he had a brief conversation with representatives of the protesters.

"They say they let through all dangerous goods and humanitarian aid. We asked them to demonstrate in practice and to adhere to their stated quotas (how many cars and trucks are allowed through every hour)," the Consul General pointed out.

As reported, Polish carriers have been blocking truck traffic on the Polish-Ukrainian border for three weeks now. In this way, they are protesting what they see as excessive competition following the liberalization of international transportation between Ukraine and the EU. One of the main demands of the Polish carriers is to cancel the "transport visa-free" regime for Ukraine, i.e., to return the need for Ukrainian companies to obtain permits for freight transportation.

About 20 truck drivers stuck at the Polish border want to evacuate to Ukraine.