Kuleba names three causes behind crisis at Ukraine-Poland border

That’s according to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, who spoke at a joint briefing with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock, Ukrinform reports.

"The crisis on the Ukrainian-Polish border is caused by three factors," Kuleba said.

The first is the economic problems Europe is facing, while Ukraine is not the largest one.

The second issue is how Russia’s intelligence and propaganda machine exploits these problems to channel European’s anger toward Ukraine.

"Together with the Polish side, we see how Russia is aggressively promoting this. "For some reason, protesters are vocal about the problem caused by Ukrainian grain, while remaining silent about Russian grain, which keeps flowing into Europe," Dmytro Kuleba said.

The third factor is provocations that escalate the situation. According to the minister for foreign affairs, had it not been for the acts of provocation involving the dumping of crops from vehicles carrying them, these issues could have been resolved calmly.

Kuleba believes the Polish government is determined to address the existing issue in a professional manner.

"Ukraine will not fall for provocation and no one will succeed in pitting Poland and Ukraine against each other strategically," Kuleba stressed.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, since February 9, 2024, Polish farmers have been protesting on motorways blocking cargo traffic toward checkpoints at the border with Ukraine. Farmers protest against what they claim is an excessive import of Ukrainian products to the Polish market.

The border blockade, with short breaks, has been going on since early November 2023. Cargo carriers were also involved in rallies at some point.