Ukraine said on Friday it had agreed some measures with Poland that could ease the pressure at border crossings blockaded by Polish truckers, but that they had not discussed the main demands of the protests.
Meanwhile, Slovak truckers blocked the main crossing from Ukraine to Slovakia, joining their Polish peers in demanding that the European Union reintroduce a permit system for Ukrainian competitors.
Protests by Polish truckers over what they see as unfair competition from their Ukrainian peers started on Nov. 6, with four border crossings now under blockade.
Ukraine's finance ministry put out data which showed the country's customs service had missed its planned revenues for November by 78%, or $255 million - an apparent consequence of the protests.
Ukraine's economy minister posted data on the X platform which showed the tonnage of cargoes exported from Ukraine through Poland in November was down 39.3% from October.
A Ukrainian senior official said on Thursday the protests would reduce the country's overall imports by about a fifth in November and could cost one percentage point of GDP growth if they drag on.
In a statement on its website, the ministry said that the request to reintroduce a permit system for Ukrainian truckers entering the EU had not been discussed.
Another issue is Ukraine's system of electronic queuing for crossing the border. Polish truckers argue it is being applied uniformly to fully loaded EU trucks as well as empty ones, causing long waiting times for the latter.
The ministry said among the measures agreed between the countries was the opening of the Uhryniv checkpoint, currently operating only for passenger cars and buses, for free passage of empty trucks aimed at reducing the load on other checkpoints.
Registration upon arrival in the electronic system will be introduced for the Nyzhankovychi crossing, along with special passes for empty trucks at two crossings currently under blockade - Yahodyn and Krakivets.
"At the same time, Polish protesters insist on the operation of Uhryniv – Dolgobychow and Nyzhankovychi – Malchowice only for transport registered in the EU. This position is unacceptable for Ukraine and the European Union," the ministry said.
Truckers from Ukraine have been exempt from seeking permits to cross the EU border under an agreement signed in June 2022, four months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Polish truckers want a return to a limited number of licences for Ukraine, something that Kyiv and Brussels say is impossible.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Fakty TVN