Polish truckers implemented a blockade of their Ukrainian counterparts due to the EU giving the latter economic advantages. While Polish leaders have been calling for EU officials to once again even the trucking cost playing field, the flow of vital wartime goods and materials is being stifled. Items needed for the war effort to stave off the Russian invasion are reportedly sitting in lines of trucks at the border, some 19 miles long.
“This is very puzzling to me, even hard to believe because everybody knows — those who order, those who expedite, and those who do the transport — that aid for the military passes through without having to wait at all,” Waldemar Jaszczur, a protest organizer at the border, reportedly said.
As American truckers learned during the pandemic, a successful supply chain requires trucks and CDL holders to deliver critical assets. U.S. truck drivers were called upon to transport food, medicine, and other necessities during the most uncertain period of the health emergency. Although some Ukraine freight carriers may be able to turn a higher profit due to lowered costs, others are hauling items to help the fight against Russian invaders.
According to reports, protestors such as Jaszczur have gone on the record indicating Ukraine operations are undercutting Polish truckers by upwards of 35 percent, effectively “driving us out of the market.” Everything from fish to luxury products has been included in the rate cuts coming from EU officials. By that same token, upwards of 200 pickup trucks needed to transport wounded soldiers and move ammunition, as well as 3,000 tourniquets, have become bogged down at the border in recent weeks.
Oleksandr Zadorozhnyi, a KOLO foundation director who provides the Ukrainian army with tech support, noted that drone deliveries are running weeks behind. The inability to keep pace with technology deployments gives the Russian war effort a critical battlefield advantage.
“This means that the Russian army will have the ability to kill Ukrainian soldiers and terrorize civilians for several weeks longer,” he reportedly said.
As a new Polish government takes control in the coming weeks, its centrist leadership appears determined to resolve the cost disparity and support Ukraine’s military supply chain needs.
“We will look for solutions that should satisfy Polish transporters, but we will not tolerate any events that threaten Polish security,” incoming Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reportedly said. “Such inaction cannot be excused because we are jeopardizing Polish-Ukrainian relations and neglecting Polish interests.”
Sources:
https://news.yahoo.com/poland-tusk-accuses-outgoing-polish-111500297.html
Leave a Comment