Government holds meeting in Lviv region, focusing on border blockade

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Today [February 23, 2024 – Ed.] we are holding an offsite meeting of the Government. At the instruction of the President of Ukraine, we are working in the Lviv region. The situation with the blockade on the border is among the key issues. We are preparing clear steps and concrete proposals. We are planning to hold a pragmatic dialogue with the Polish side and ready for reasonable compromises,” Shmyhal noted.

At the same time, the Prime Minister emphasized that Ukraine’s logistics continues to expand in other areas, such as the Danube and sea ports, border crossings with other neighboring countries, and railway routes.

In January 2024, 88% of Ukraine’s grain exports were shipped to the European Union via the Black Sea.

“This is the operational result of our maritime logistic corridor. The Danube ports continue to top record levels in terms of transshipment volumes. We keep investing in the expansion of their capabilities. We are preparing groups of vessels to ship our products via the Danube,” Shmyhal explained.

In his words, these are container barges that can sail to the ports of Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, and Romania’s Port of Constanța.

In this regard, the Prime Minister mentioned that Ukraine is expanding cooperation with Romania, as Romanian partners proved to be reliable.

“In January 2024, Ukraine shipped 1.1 million tonnes of grain in transit via Romania. In the first half of February 2024, it was already 0.6 million tonnes,” Shmyhal added.

A reminder that Polish farmers continue blocking freight traffic on the border with Ukraine. With small breaks, the border blockade protests have been underway since early November 2023. In addition to farmers, they were supported by Polish carriers.

Photo: archival, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine