Zelenskyy sends government representatives to border with Poland and calls for meeting with PM Tusk
On 21 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed that Ukraine, Poland and the European Commission hold a joint meeting – in response to Polish farmers blocking checkpoints on the Polish-Ukrainian border.
In an appeal published in Ukrainian and Polish languages on social networks, the head of state said he ordered that the government members head for the border between Ukraine and Poland "in the near future, until 24 February."
"And I ask that you, Donald [Tusk], Mr. Prime Minister, also come to the border. Andrzej [Duda], Mr. President, I implore you to support this dialogue. This is national security. We don't have to postpone it. The coming days give us the opportunity to do this," he added.
Zelenskyy also expressed his readiness to personally come to a meeting with the Ukrainian government.
"And now I'd like to make an appeal to the European Commission: Europe must remain united. This is a fundamental interest for the European Union. As a result, Ukraine requests that a representative from the European Commission attend this meeting," the president said.
"Enough of Moscow (i.e. Russian aggression – ed.) in our lands. Enough of misunderstandings,
"You cannot humiliate one another, nor can you humiliate Ukrainian or Polish farmers. We require unity. We need a solution for ourselves, Ukraine, and Poland, as well as for all of Europe," he concluded.
On the morning of 20 February, Polish farmers blocked the railway near the Shehyni-Medyka checkpoint and spilled some of the grain out of a freight train wagon. This was the second incident since the beginning of these protests, but the first one on the railway.
In response to Polish farmers' blockade of the border with Ukraine, Polish President Andrzej Duda stated that the Polish authorities could not limit their right to legitimate protest.
Ukraine raised the issue of a new incident with spilled grain at a meeting of the coordination platform for Ukrainian exports to the EU on Tuesday, and the Ukrainian side was assured that the incident was being investigated.