Ukraine says trucker queues building up at Poland border

Kyiv said Thursday over 20,000 vehicles were blocked on both sides of its border with Poland, as Polish truckers protest for a fourth day against what they call unfair competition from Ukrainian rivals.

Polish transport companies have blocked border crossings with the war-torn country since Monday, demanding the reintroduction of entry permits for Ukrainian truckers.

The European Union waived permits for Ukrainian transport companies entering the 27-nation bloc, of which Poland is a member, after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

"Currently, more than 20,000 vehicles are blocked on both sides," said Ukraine's reconstruction minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, adding that he had discussed the issue with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Adamczyk.

"Ukraine respects the right to protest and is ready for a constructive dialogue to resolve the situation," Kubrakov said.

"At the same time, we should note that the blockade by Polish protesters disrupts logistical routes, which already affects both the economy of Ukraine and the European Union," he added.

The protest is the latest in a series of economic clashes between the neighbours, who are traditionally close allies but have seen relations suffer in recent months.

The blocking of the border has mainly affected cargo trucks and Ukraine did not clarify how many were private cars.

Local Polish police told AFP there were around 500 trucks in a 40 kilometre (25 miles) long queue at the Hrebenne-Rava Ruska crossing.

"The waiting time to cross the border is approximately 160 hours," police spokesperson Malgorzata Pawlowska said.

The queue for trucks at a crossing further south in Medyka was around 55 hours long, Poland's border service estimated on its website.

Kyiv has said it has not received any official demands from Polish transport companies for how to resolve the dispute.

"It is wrong to close the border with Ukraine during the war," Oleksandr, a 36-year-old trucker who had been queueing for two days at the Rava Ruska crossing, told AFP. He declined to give his surname.

Warsaw has been Kyiv's staunchest backer against Russia since Moscow's invasion in February 2022.

But relations between the neighbours took a downward turn during Poland's general election this autumn, when its governing nationalist party became embroiled in several rows with Kyiv.