Ambassador: Due to driver's death, Ukraine demands from Poland to unblock border traffic

This was announced by Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Zvarych, Ukrinform reports.

"In connection with the death, unfortunately, of the second Ukrainian driver, who was driving a Ukrainian truck and was in a queue caused by the strike of Polish carriers in front of the Korczowa checkpoint, the embassy urgently addressed another official note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, demanding to unblock the movement of trucks. The relevant signals were also sent to the Ministry of the Interior and the Polish administration," Zvarych emphasized.

According to him, the restriction of freight traffic by Polish protesters poses a threat to human life and health, causes a significant threat to safety and traffic order on public roads, and therefore, in accordance with the provisions of the Law of the Republic of Poland On Assemblies, "gives direct grounds for the dissolution of the strike by a representative of the local government body that issued the permit for its holding".

"We call on the Polish authorities to take decisive action to unblock the traffic and prevent Ukrainian, Polish and foreign truck drivers from standing in long queues without proper conditions, thus becoming hostages to the actions of the protest organizers," the diplomat said.

He added that everyone has the right to protest and defend their position. However, the form, time and duration of the assembly chosen this time, in difficult weather conditions, poses a real threat to people's lives and health, as well as to their safety.

"That is why it is extremely important to save human lives, stop blocking the movement of vehicles and give drivers the opportunity to return home unhindered," Zvarych stressed.

As reported, a 56-year-old Ukrainian driver who was waiting to cross the border died in a parking lot near Korczowa in Poland.

Earlier, on November 11, a 54-year-old truck driver from Ukraine died in Poland in a parking lot near the Dorohusk-Yahodyn checkpoint, where he was waiting to cross the border.

As reported, Polish carriers began an indefinite protest on November 6. Among the main demands to the Ukrainian government is the return of the practice of permits for Ukrainian carriers, which was abolished by the agreement with the EU until June 30, 2024. The protesters want the agreement to be terminated and the permit regime to be restored from January 1.

The strike led to a complete halt in traffic at three border crossing points between Poland and Ukraine: Dorohusk-Yahodyn, Korczowa-Krakivets, and Hrebenne-Rava-Ruska. Huge queues of Ukrainian trucks have formed at the border. In some places, they reach 40 kilometers in both directions, and Polish parking lots have become a place of temporary residence for many drivers.