According to the radio station, around 30 people are participating in the protest. They have blocked national road No. 28.
At the pedestrian crossing near the railway overpass at the entrance to Medyka, they are not allowing trucks coming from Ukraine to pass, while trucks from Poland heading to Ukraine can cross at a rate of one per hour. Passenger cars, buses, vehicles with humanitarian cargo, and military convoys are passing through without delays, RMF24 reports.
The farmers are demanding a reduction in the agricultural tax in the country to the level of 2023, say the organizers of the blockade. The second reason for the action is concerns and an attempt to prevent the European Union from signing a free trade agreement with the South American economic bloc MERCOSUR.
The spokesperson for the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Bartosz Gubernat, stated in a comment to journalists that a corresponding bill is being prepared regarding the maintenance of the tax amount at the 2023 level this year. He also reminded that regarding the free trade agreement between the EU and MERCOSUR countries, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the government "clearly indicated that it will not be signed."
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine informed that the Polish protest will last for 48 hours, with a possibility of extension. Currently, there are no queues of trucks exiting Ukraine, but about 150 trucks have accumulated at the entrance to the country.
The border guards note that the protesters intend to prevent trucks weighing more than 3.5 tons from entering Poland. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has released a video showing the situation at the checkpoint.