Polish Hauliers to Unblock Border with Ukraine for 1.5 Months
Polish hauliers blocking three checkpoints on the border with Ukraine will suspend their protest until 1 March − this is the agreement between the protesters and the Polish government.
As reported by TVN24, Dariusz Klimczak, Minister of Infrastructure of Poland, announced on 16 January that the ministry had signed an agreement with the hauliers.
Klimczak said the agreement does not mean the end of the dialogue, but "intensive negotiations".
"Тhis protest is interdisciplinary, touching upon various aspects of international and domestic politics. The complexity and intricacy of the issues have led to negotiations and discussions lasting over a month. The protest will be concluded by 1 March," Klimczak said.
He added that "there is a lot of work ahead", but at the same time expressed hope that "constructive negotiations will bring a concrete result".
The protesters' leader, Rafał Mekler, said that if the authorities and hauliers cannot find a solution, they will return to the border.
Na granicy zostawiamy całą infrastrukturę, kontenery, naczepy. W razie braku realizacji postulatów wrócimy na granicę.
— Rafał Mekler (@MeklerRafal) January 16, 2024
He also added that all the protesters' infrastructure – containers and trailers – remains at the border.
Earlier today, Tomasz Borkowski of the Committee to Protect Hauliers and Transport Employers, reported that the protest will be suspended on 16 January at 13:00 Kyiv time.
The Ministry of Agriculture of Romania and representatives of major agricultural organisations reached an agreement on 15 January, addressing several farmers' demands who protested for six days, blocking the border with Ukraine.