Ukraine. Ardanowski: We can’t be useful idiots

Ukraine must understand that Poland has its own interests. We cannot be useful idiots, calls Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski.

The EU’s Transport Council met in Brussels on Monday. The demands of the Polish side were not taken into account. EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean said there is no question of restoring permits for transporters from Ukraine. The official urged Poland to unblock the border and “come to its senses.”

Polish carriers only want to restore normal economic relations, that is, above all, restore the system of entry permits for Ukrainian companies to transport goods, with the exception of humanitarian aid and supplies for the Ukrainian army.

Ukraine. Ardanowski: We can’t be useful idiots

Magdalena Uchaniuk asked the former Minister of Agriculture, PiS MP Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, to comment on the case on Radio WNET. The politician clearly stated that Poland must defend its economic interests, which Ukraine should finally understand. He explained that this concerns both the context of the transport sector and agriculture, because the grain export revenues of international companies from Ukraine are harvested by oligarchs, and not by the Ukrainian government. He once again emphasized that the embargo on some Ukrainian products was introduced too late.

Ardanowski explained that Poland has provided and continues to provide enormous assistance, but the country also needs to manage its own affairs. – We cannot be useful idiots – he emphasized when asked about Kiev’s negative reactions to all attempts by the Polish side to protect its markets. – We have our national interests. I already hear the story that, now that Western Europe is opening up to Ukraine, Polish agriculture and Polish transporters will have to adapt.

It is the country that wants to join the EU that must adapt

– Ukrainians must understand that we also have our own interests – he emphasized. (…) I am only afraid that the Ukrainians have already reformatted their sympathies and now only see hope in Germany and will implement the agenda that is being created in Berlin. And we will either be useful idiots, or we will convince ourselves that we will adapt to Ukraine’s accession to the EU, said the former head of the Ministry of Agriculture.

As he recalled, until now the rule was that a country wanting to join the EU had to do a lot of work and adapt, which Poland, for example, has been doing for a decade.

Carriers’ strike

European Union decisions favored the Ukrainian transport sector at the expense of the Polish one, resulting in continued protests from Polish carriers. Brussels has completely waived the requirement that Ukrainians obtain trade permits, which are required by Poles entering Ukraine. Another problem is the operation of the e-queuing system introduced by Ukraine, which increases the travel time of Polish drivers.

As a result, Ukrainian companies are taking over the Polish market and Polish airlines continue to incur losses. In this context, it is worth recalling that the transport sector generates almost 6% of GDP in Poland. Its gross domestic product (GDP) employs approximately one million people.

Source: Do Rzeczy

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