Polish Farmers Resume Blockade Of Ukraine Border Crossing

Polish farmers protest at the Medyka checkpoint late last month.

Polish farmers resumed their blockade of the Medyka border crossing with Ukraine on January 4, as Prime Minister Donald Tusk attempted to defuse the dispute. The farmers suspended their protest, which aims to secure government subsidies for corn and prevent tax hikes, on December 24.

Polish truck drivers have been blocking border crossings with Ukraine since November, claiming unfair competition from their Ukrainian counterparts. The blockades have left Ukrainian truck drivers stuck at border crossings for days or even weeks.

A leader of the protest in Medyka, Roman Kondrow, said that, although Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski had provided a note telling farmers their demands would be met, the prime minister had not signed a declaration.