Ukraine and Poland are ready to sign an agreement on control at border crossing points. What else has been agreed upon?

This was reported by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Following the meeting between Ukrainian and Polish officials, the parties signed a joint statement. They confirmed that trade liberalization measures should be designed to have a positive impact on the economies of Poland, other EU members, and Ukraine, while not destabilizing the markets of the countries. The jointly developed mechanisms should monitor the stability of trade in view of the changing security situation in Ukraine.

Among other things, Ukraine and Poland agreed to continue searching for “mutually beneficial solutions”, such as verification and control systems, for trade in agri-food products. The ministers responsible for agriculture and trade of both sides will continue negotiations.

Also, Ukraine and Poland confirmed their readiness to conclude an agreement on control at joint border checkpoints and cooperation of control bodies (after the approval of the EU Commission) to launch the exchange of logistics data at certain road checkpoints.

Poland's position

At a briefing following the meeting, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized that the parties are “close to finding a solution” to trade and the work of carriers.

“Neither Shmyhal nor I will have 100% satisfaction. But this is the current policy. We are looking for solutions that may not fully satisfy everyone, but will protect the basic interests of Polish and Ukrainian farmers and producers,” he said.

Tusk added that in the issue of agriculture, “a step forward has been taken”. He noted that Poland has joined the “offensive” to block imports of Russian and Belarusian grain and other products, and the result is “tantamount to an embargo”.

He also recalled that the European Union is preparing to impose a 50% duty on grain imports from Russia and Belarus, “which de facto means an export blockade”.

“We are looking for solutions that will give a sense of security to our producers and farmers. It's nothing new that some people want to sell their grain cheaper, while others have problems in this regard. We need to be able to talk about this, to look for solutions that will not be painful for either Ukrainian or Polish producers,” Tusk said.

Ukraine's position

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal called the talks “intense and constructive”.

He emphasized that the Polish protests had harmed the economies of Poland, Ukraine, and the EU as a whole. Thanks to the Defense Forces, Ukraine has unblocked exports through the Black Sea, and this year only 2 million tons of 17 million tons of agricultural exports are being transported through the western land border. But the water corridor is “very sensitive to the security situation”, so land “routes of solidarity” are still needed.

Shmyhal said that Ukraine had agreed to certain restrictions and “safeguards” proposed by the European Commission. For its part, Ukraine asked for the free passage of not only ammunition and humanitarian aid, but also fuel.