Ukraine–Poland Tensions Grow Over Unfair Competition on EU’s Agri-Food Market

Farmer protests are a source of tensions between Ukraine and its neighbors on the West who support its fight of Russian invasion but face pressure from farmers.

Polish farmers protest over price pressures, taxes and green regulation, grievances shared by farmers across Europe and against the import of agricultural produce and food products from Ukraine, as they gather with tractors near Sulechow, Poland, on Feb. 20, 2024. Wladyslaw Czulak/Agencja Wyborcza.pl via Reuters

Polish farmers are blocking almost all border traffic with Ukraine to protest unfair European Union competition and the bloc’s climate change measures, both of which endanger their livelihood.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters on Feb. 23 that Ukrainian grain, which is currently being blocked at the border by Polish farmers protesting EU’s policies, is not “intended for the Polish market.”