Poland Asks EU to Increase Financial Aid Amid Ukrainian Grain Influx

WARSAW (Sputnik) - Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday asked the European Union to increase its financial assistance to Poland and to protect the country's agricultural sector in light of the influx of Ukrainian agricultural products into the country.

Poland expects support from the EU in the current situation with Ukrainian goods, Tusk told reporters after a meeting with his Finnish counterpart, Petteri Orpo, in Warsaw.

"We have the right to expect from our European partners, from the European Union, increased assistance and protection of Polish agriculture. I will be very consistent in this matter," the Polish prime minister said.

The conflict in Ukraine cannot be the reason for the "terrible losses" that the Polish agricultural industry is suffering at the moment, he added.

"We had to make decisions in our country to protect Polish agriculture against unfair competition with agricultural goods flowing in from across the eastern border. Thank you for your understanding of our situation. This has not been easy for Poland, which is so engaged in helping Ukraine," Tusk said.

Polish farmers began a month-long nationwide protest on February 9. They are blocking roads and access to checkpoints at the border with Ukraine. The protesters are demanding that the duty-free import of agricultural products from Ukraine be stopped and EU climate policies eased. Such protests have spread across several EU member states, including France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Romania and the Netherlands.

Polish-Ukrainian relations deteriorated significantly last year due to the influx of Ukrainian grain into the EU. Poland, along with Slovakia and Hungary, unilaterally extended a ban on duty-free Ukrainian grain imports after EU-imposed curbs lapsed on September 15, 2023. In response, Ukraine filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization. The three EU countries promised to boycott meetings of the coordination platform on Ukrainian grain.