The Ukrainian economy has lost approximately 2 billion zlotys ($500 million) due to the alarming blockade of the Polish-Ukrainian border. Poland is also losing money because of the blockade, Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland Vasyl Zvarych has said.
"Due to the ongoing blockade of the border, Ukraine has already been seriously weakened, the Ukrainian economy has already lost approximately PLN 2 billion as a result of the blockade. In the context of Russian aggression, this is a serious blow to the defence of my country, and therefore also a blow to the security of Poland," he said.
The ambassador also stressed that the Polish economy was also losing money due to the border blockade, as it seriously hindered Poland's trade with Ukraine, which in 2023 amounted to approximately €13 billion. This is more than twice the volume of Ukrainian exports to Poland.
"I appeal to Polish farmers to stop blocking the border with Ukraine, which is unreasonable and harmful to our friendly countries. The truth is that it is not Ukraine or its agricultural products that are the source of your problems. Ukraine has no influence on global food prices," Zvarych wrote on Facebook.
He noted that prices are determined on world exchanges, "where Russia is an active player".
"It is Russia that pursues a dumping policy and uses the food market as a hybrid weapon for the purposes of aggression against Ukraine. It is Russia that has been consistently trying to destabilise the global and European markets.
"It is Russia that pursues a dumping policy and uses the food market as a hybrid weapon for the purposes of aggression against Ukraine. It is Russia that is consistently trying to destabilise the global and European markets, weaken the economies of both Ukraine and European countries, and create anti-Ukrainian sentiment to undermine European solidarity with Ukraine," Zvarych said.
He urged not to succumb to propaganda and not to allow oneself to be used to weaken Ukraine.
"The unjustified blockade of the border with Ukraine does not benefit either Poland and Polish farmers in particular, or Ukraine and its defence capabilities. The blockade of Ukraine in the context of Russian aggression benefits only Russia, which is currently enriching itself by increasing its exports of agricultural and food products to the European market," the ambassador stressed.