Ukraine says Polish border blockade is hurting its war effort

A senior Ukrainian official warned a blockade by Polish farmers at the border was hurting the nation’s ability to defend itself as the country awaits essential supplies in its fight against Russia.

The transit of humanitarian deliveries, perishable goods and fuel were being blocked from the Polish side of Ukraine’s border at six crossing points, Deputy Infrastructure Minister Serhiy Derkach said on the ministry’s Facebook page on Monday.  

“This is a direct impact on our defense capability,” Derkach said. 

Almost 3,000 trucks are stuck waiting to enter Ukraine, Derkach said, adding that there was no such backup on the Ukrainian side of the frontier. 

Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov condemned instances of protesters blocking civilian passengers at the border, saying that women and children affected by the war should not become “hostages of business interests.” He cited a video circulating on social media showing demonstrators preventing a passenger bus from crossing the border. 

Kubrakov met with the head of Poland’s National Security Bureau, Jacek Siewiera, to discuss the blockade. 

Just weeks after the new Polish prime minister, Donald Tusk, managed to defuse a months-long blockade by truck drivers, farmers protesting what they call the illegal flow of Ukrainian food products took to the border. 

Ukraine, which is grappling with an intensifying shortage of ammunition and other military aid, relies on shipments via Poland as a primary transit route.