Polish Truckers Spark Tensions with Ukraine, Block Border Crossings

Polish truckers are blocking border crossings with Ukraine to protest an EU deal that allows easy access for cheaper Ukrainian drivers into the bloc. The protesters are demanding that limits on transport operations for Ukrainian haulers be restored. The Polish transport industry claims that Ukrainian trucks have crossed the Polish border close to 900,000 times this year, compared to around 180,000 trucks a year before the war in Ukraine. The Polish government insists that it cannot undermine the EU deal, but the truckers argue that Ukrainian competitors are transporting goods within Poland at a much cheaper rate. The protests are causing difficulties for Ukraine's economy, which is already impacted by Poland's ban on Ukrainian grain imports.