Ukraine moves trucks over Polish border by train, to bypass blockade

KYIV - Ukraine on Dec 7 said it had tested transporting trucks across the Polish border using trains, in an attempt to bypass

a month-long blockade by Polish hauliers.

Truck traffic at four border crossings has been paralysed since November, amid protests by Polish hauliers

demanding the reintroduction of entry permits for their Ukrainian competitors.

“Ukrainian Railways has sent the first train with trucks to Poland,” the state-owned rail operator said, in a statement.

It said the train would go through the Izov-Hrubieszow border crossing on Poland’s south-east border, before disembarking onto the road.

“Similar trips will be organised in the opposite direction,” Ukrainian Railways said, posting a video showing a train carrying over a dozen trucks moving to an undisclosed location.

Polish hauliers launched blockades at the Ukrainian border last month, complaining about what they have called unfair competition from Ukrainian companies.

Ukraine relies heavily on road transport with EU-member Poland for its exports and imports, particularly since the Russian invasion nearly two years ago.

The European Union waived the entry permits following Russia’s invasion but Polish road carriers say undercutting by their Ukrainian competitors has taken a serious toll on their earnings.

Last week, Kyiv said that

the fallout from the protest had been “catastrophic”

and that Ukrainian drivers stuck at the border were in a “dire” situation. AFP