Some 20 truck drivers blocked at Polish border seeking evacuation to Ukraine

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Deputy Minister Serhiy Derkach at a press conference in Poland’s Dorohusk on Saturday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Today, there are about 20 drivers who have expressed willingness and submitted requests to leave for Ukraine for a certain period of time,” Derkach said, explaining that the drivers had been previously informed about such an opportunity.

According to Derkach, the border blockade harms both Ukraine and Poland, as well as other EU countries. In his words, Ukraine receives 30% of what the country’s energy sector needs via the territory of Poland.

Derkach emphasized that Ukraine’s energy system would face a significant problem if fuel tanks end up blocked in lines on the border for a long time.

“If the protesters were aiming at causing an energy crisis in Ukraine, they are starting to succeed,” Derkach noted.

The Ukrainian minister mentioned that, in addition to fuel tanks, humanitarian aid trucks had also been blocked on the border, although the protesters promised to let them in. All such cases were documented.

Derkach expressed Ukraine’s surprise at the fact that Polish local authorities continue extending permits for the protesters to block the state border. He stressed that the actions of the protesters and local authorities do not create the proper prerequisites for solving the problem.

In a commentary to Ukrinform, Consul General of Ukraine in Lublin Oleh Kuts noted that the Ukrainian side had gathered information about the Ukrainian drivers who are willing to get evacuated from abroad.

According to Kuts, the main purpose of the Ukrainian delegation visiting the state border was to show moral support for the Ukrainian drivers, deliver necessary goods to them, namely food and water, and assure them that the Ukrainian state is making everything possible to solve the problem as fast as possible.

Kuts mentioned that the Ukrainian delegation had also met with the Polish protesters. The delegation members urged the Polish representatives not to block the supply of critically important goods for Ukraine, such as fuel and humanitarian aid.

A reminder that, on November 6, 2023, Polish carriers started an indefinite protest on the Ukrainian-Polish border. State-to-state negotiations have had no effect so far.