Protest against Ukrainian grain on the Polish border.
Photo: REUTERS
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk turned out to be a master of words in the good sense of the expression. More than a month ago, when his Ukrainian colleague Denis Shmygal arrived at the border and snooped there waiting for the Polish delegation (although the Poles did not consent to such an appointment), Tusk said that the meeting would take place in March. 28 in Warsaw, and he was Shmygal’s comrade waiting at this place and at this time.
March 28 arrived and the Ukrainian delegation, dancing with impatience, headed to Warsaw to negotiate what was said to be a joint meeting of the governments of the two countries. Outwardly, everything was more than decent, the Prime Minister’s meeting with the Prime Minister, the red carpet, the passing of the Honor Guard. But the independent Svidomites did not come to Warsaw in search of external paraphernalia; what interested them most was the issue of unblocking the Polish-Ukrainian border from Poland and ending the protests of Polish farmers and truck drivers who oppose the large-scale import of Ukrainian agricultural products to EU countries, and even because of dumping prices.
Denis Shmygal (left) and Donald Tusk before the start of negotiations.
Photo: REUTERS
Generally, we met to agree on these issues, negotiated for 6 hours, but never reached an agreement.
– Neither Prime Minister Shmygal nor I will be 100 percent satisfied. But this is what modern politics is all about. Ukraine and Poland are looking for solutions that may not be entirely suitable for everyone. But it will protect the main interests of Polish farmers and producers and, on the other hand, Ukrainians. “We are searching and we are close to finding a solution,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after the results.
“Today I can say that we have definitely made progress in lifting the blockade, but the most important thing is in resolving all critical issues that lead to such blockades,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal sadly supported his Polish colleague in an information session. after the negotiations and noted that the plan to resolve the problems (not the decisions themselves, but the plan to discuss them!) is being implemented, although not as quickly as Ukraine would like. – We definitely have positive trends and positive dynamics, it is important to maintain this dynamic and move forward.
And the Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine, Nikolai Solsky, was not so diplomatic and honestly admitted to Forbes journalists that Ukraine and Poland could not resolve the issue of the transit of Ukrainian grain through Polish territory… Although he also expressed a cautious optimism from a historical point of view. perspective.
“Now we are closer than yesterday to unblocking the border,” he noted, obviously referring to the geographical distance between kyiv and Warsaw.
However, their mriyas (dreams) were brutally trampled and destroyed by the head of the Polish Foreign Ministry, Radoslaw Sikorski, in his speech on the RMF FM radio station.
– Ukraine has access to sea routes and markets in which it previously operated. Therefore, the effect of preferences for kyiv’s exports to the European Union is coming to an end, Sikorsky explained the situation and its prospects and added rather harshly. – Temporary admission to the European single market was a gesture of solidarity.
Overall, it is unclear what decision the parties will make when the European Commission approves its decision, except that they appear to have agreed to jointly monitor the checkpoints.
But Polish farmers and truck drivers, along with other protest participants, do not enter the crossing points themselves, but block the entrances. I wonder if the Polish-Ukrainian negotiators were informed of this?
On the other hand, the main thing is not victory, but participation. Therefore, it will take a long time to participate in negotiations that others can do.
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