KYIV (Reuters) – Polish farmers have ended their blockade of one of the border crossings between Ukraine and Poland and the movement of lorries has been fully restored, the Ukrainian border service said on Sunday.
“Truck traffic has been restored: Polish farmers have ended the blockade in front of the Medyka – Shehyni crossing,” the service said on the Telegram messaging app.
The service quoted the Polish border guard as saying that the protest action in front of the crossing ended at 9:30 a.m. Kyiv time (0730 GMT) on Sunday.
“Registration and crossing of trucks entering Ukraine is carried out as usual,” it added.
Polish farmers said on Saturday that they would suspend a protest at the crossing with Ukraine from Sunday but truckers would continue blockades at three other crossings over Christmas.
Drivers have been blocking several crossings with Ukraine since Nov. 6, demanding that the European Union reinstate a system under which Ukrainian companies need permits to operate in the bloc, and the same for European truckers seeking to enter Ukraine.
They were later joined by farmers who demanded government subsidies for corn and no hikes in taxes.
Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Thursday that Kyiv hoped to reach an agreement with the new Polish government to end truck blockades at the border crossings.
Ukrainian transport analysts have said that about 3,900 trucks were on the Polish side waiting for permission to enter Ukraine.
Poland’s newly appointed Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last week that the new government will try to quickly put an end to the truck drivers’ protest.
(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
