Slovak transporters blocked the movement of trucks in the direction of the Vyshne-Nemetske-Uzhgorod checkpoints.
The Slovaks, followed by the Poles, joined the blockade of the Ukrainian border. Slovak carriers began blocking the movement of trucks through the Wisne-Niemecke checkpoint opposite the Ukrainian checkpoint Uzhgorod.
Not as hard as the poles
The action is carried out by representatives of the Union of Carriers of Slovakia, the dates of which are not yet known. The protesters vowed not to block humanitarian aid, other critical supplies, live animals, fuel or refrigerated cargo. The rest of the trucks leaving Slovakia will be allowed to pass at a speed of four vehicles per hour, the movement of passenger cars and buses is not limited, and entry into Slovakia is also open.
The Slovak carriers had previously said that the purpose of the action was to join their Polish colleagues who have been blocking the Ukrainian border since November 6.
The Road Transport Union of Slovakia (UNAS), like the Poles, is demanding the cancellation of the agreement between the EU and Ukraine on the so-called transport visa-free regime, which, according to Slovak transporters, has led to the collapse of the local transport market.
Currently, there are about 900 trucks on the line on the territory of Slovakia to Ukraine.
Unfriendly actions
As you know, a new government led by Robert Fico, known for his honest attitude towards Moscow, recently came to power in Slovakia. On Thursday, November 30, Fico held a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Slovakia and began talking about the possible normalization of relations with Russia.
Fico received US Ambassador Gautama Rana and Russian Ambassador Igor Bratchikov at the Slovak government building in Bratislava.
“I told them my view on the development of Slovak-American and Slovak-Russian relations. The Slovak Republic is a member state of the EU and NATO, which naturally influences our foreign policy priorities. On the other hand, it will not limit us to sovereign positions, which do not always correspond to the policy of a single correct opinion promoted in the European Union,” said the Prime Minister.
Fico said his foreign policy priority is to protect and promote the interests of the Slovak national state, which includes support for peace initiatives instead of war in Ukraine. Fico did not explain what he was saying.
After Fico came to power, the Slovak government decided to tighten restrictions on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products. Besides the import of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower, the import of honey, sugar, malt and soybeans is also banned.
Slovakia also said it expects proposals from the European Commission on a systematic solution to the problem regarding the import of Ukrainian grain.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Slovakia, Richard Takacs, said that the unilateral ban on the import of Ukrainian grain will remain in force until the European Commission proposes a systematic solution to the problem of the dominance of Ukrainian agricultural products in Europe.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.