On Sunday, 24 November, Polish protesters maintained their blockade of the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing on the Ukrainian border. According to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), the blockade is expected to continue until at least Monday morning, with the possibility of an extension.
The SBGS clarified that the restrictions primarily target freight transport, while cars and buses remain unaffected.
“Currently, border guards are not observing any significant accumulation of trucks leaving Ukraine. On the Polish side, about 10 trucks are waiting to enter Ukraine, held up by the protest,” the agency reported.
The trucks that were caught between the protesters and the Polish Medyka checkpoint on Saturday have since been allowed to proceed into Ukraine.
Polish media outlet RMF FM reported that Polish Agriculture Minister Czesław Siekierski intends to meet with the farmers leading the blockade.
The organisers of the protest claim that the blockade was reinstated due to concerns over unmet demands to maintain the 2024 agricultural tax rates at 2023 levels. They also expressed apprehension about the potential signing of the European Union’s free trade agreement with the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay).