“The inaction of the Polish authorities is incomprehensible. The initiative will be taken by the protesters if the Polish law enforcement agencies do not intervene. This is an alarming signal,” – former Ambassador Andriy Deshchytsia
Large-scale rallies are taking place in Warsaw, the Polish-Ukrainian borders are still not allowing Ukrainian grain to pass through, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is talking about a possible temporary closure of borders for agricultural products from Ukraine. Brussels has not yet clearly voiced its position on the situation that has been taking place on the borders of the two ‘twin’ countries, Poland and Ukraine, for several days, and even months.
According to the State Border Guard Service, as of the morning of 29 February, approximately 2,200 trucks were queued up at six border crossing points. Most of them are at the Krakovets, Rava-Ruska and Yahodyn checkpoints.
Why Poland is “playing along” with the blockade of farmers, why Europe is silent and what Russia has to do with it – this and more in an exclusive interview with Kommersant Ukrainian andrii Deshchytsia, Ukrainian diplomat, former Ambassador to Poland (2014-2022), spoke about this and more in an exclusive interview with Kommersant Ukrainskyi.
“RUSSIA’S EARS OR FEET
- The blockade of Ukraine’s borders by Polish farmers has been going on for months now, and Polish carriers are planning to join in. Ukrainians who are not immersed in international relations do not understand one thing: how the Poles, who were our “brothers” at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, became our opposition. Is this whole story about forgotten historical grievances or is it about internal political processes in Poland itself?
This border blockade arose due to a number of factors. Firstly, Polish agriculture in general is not prepared for the radical changes that the European Union is trying to implement. And, of course, Polish farmers are currently unable to compete with Ukrainian agricultural products.
Secondly, the previous Polish government did not address the problems of local farmers in a comprehensive manner. Often, these were very radical decisions, which again were related to the domestic political situation in the country, in particular, the parliamentary elections held last autumn.
And when the new government came to power, the country did not have a formed government for a long time, and even after it started working, it began to deal with other issues rather than the problems of farmers, which kept accumulating. And now the opposition party Law and Justice is “twisting the protesting farmers to demand a complete closure of the border with Ukraine, not only for wheat, rapeseed, corn and sunflower, but for everything.
Another political party, the Confederation, is a radical right-wing party known for its ties to Russia. They are also using this situation (with the protests on the border – ed.) to raise their rating and spread Russian narratives.
- In general, Polish protesters behave quite cinematically: they throw Ukrainian grain out of trains, scatter nails on the roads, stop buses with ordinary people, and wave pro-Russian banners. Do you think they are acting chaotically or are they following someone else’s script?
I think the Russian side is involved in these protests. All these provocations with grain, nails, unauthorised vehicle inspections are probably being done under the influence of Russia to cause Ukrainians to be seriously discontented with the Poles.
There are definitely Russian “ears” or “feet” here. They are using these protests to create chaos in Polish society. Because these protests affect the domestic political situation in Poland: on the one hand, Polish society, according to polls, supports the protesters, and on the other hand, these protesters create quite serious problems for the Polish economy. By blocking roads, they are preventing Polish producers, not only of agricultural products, from supplying goods to Ukraine. And these are very big numbers: last year, the trade turnover from Poland to Ukraine was $11 billion.
In general, I believe that the problems at the border can only be solved in a trilateral format – Ukraine, Poland and the European Commission should cooperate, because the farmers’ demands actually concern all three parties.
Polish farmers are now starting to say that Ukrainian agricultural products cannot enter not only the Polish market, but even European markets. This is a change in rhetoric, because the Polish and Ukrainian governments have been saying that since last September, Ukrainian grain has not entered Poland, it has only been in transit, so what’s the problem? So now they have invented a new story.
The protesters are now claiming that Ukrainian grain is allegedly in transit through Poland, then goes to Lithuania or Slovakia and returns to the Polish market. And they have already begun to block the borders with these countries.
THE POLISH GOVERNMENT MAY BE HELD HOSTAGE BY PROTESTS AT THE BORDERS
- Indeed, Polish farmers are already blocking the borders with Slovakia and Germany and are planning to block the borders with Lithuania. Could the governments of these countries theoretically contribute to the unblocking of the borders? And do you think there is such a political will in Europe?
I think so: the governments of these countries should express their dissatisfaction. This is at least a minimum. The situation of the Polish authorities’ inaction is very incomprehensible to me. Who gave the Polish protesters the right to stop cars on the border with Slovakia, not let them through, check the contents of these cars and then let them through at their discretion? Are they border customs or tax authorities?
You see, this means that the Polish authorities are not functioning, and this is a rather alarming signal. If the Polish law enforcement agencies do not continue to do their job, the initiative will be taken by these protesters. Then what is the government for? What is the purpose of the police? What is the purpose of the customs service? Then give all the power to the peasants.
As a result, this government will become a hostage to the protests, Poles will stop trusting it, and the government will lose the upcoming elections. If it continues to take such a passive stance.
BORDER PROTESTS ARE AN ELEMENT OF RUSSIA’S HYBRID WAR AGAINST THE EU
- The Polish government has only recently been formed, perhaps it is still studying the situation and does not understand how to get out of the situation, but why is there no real action on the part of the European Commission? Because the chaos on the borders and inside Poland itself is only growing.
I don’t have enough arguments to talk about it, but the situation looks like some element of a hybrid war that Russia started against the European Union, against Europe, and it started with Poland, which is the most neurological country that can create tension with Ukraine. This can be played on.
In fact, the protests are organised against Ukrainian grain, but they also create tensions between countries that are members of the European Union, between Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania. And such an atmosphere of chaos or uncertainty, of distrust of each other, is actually useful for Russia. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to be a bit of a preparation to weaken Europe before attacking it.
- Did Poland provide guarantees of unimpeded transit of Ukrainian goods through its territory?
I cannot say for sure what form these guarantees took, but it is true that Poland provided them. At the end of 2022, when the export of Ukrainian agricultural products in transit, in particular through Poland, actually started, all guarantees were provided.
- In this case, can the EU put pressure on the Polish authorities to fulfil their obligations regarding the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products? What levers are available for this?
In fact, the European Union has not yet exerted a sufficiently radical influence on Poland – it wants the new government led by Donald Tusk to consolidate its positions. This is because this government declares its pro-European policy and willingness to cooperate with Brussels. In particular, to implement the relevant reforms previously criticised by the European Union in Poland, which primarily concern the judiciary.
- Will Poland compensate Ukrainian companies for losses caused by the blockade? How can such compensation be achieved in the future?
So far, Poland has not claimed any compensation, but as far as I know, our lawyers and these law firms that worked with the road hauliers (during the protests of the carriers – ed.) have prepared appropriate appeals to the courts for compensation from the Polish authorities or protesters, if their protests were legal, for the costs incurred as a result of the protests. I think that the same principle can be used to formulate cases and filings with the courts in the case of damage to property, including grain, as a result of these protests.
- Given the way things are going, could the protesters extend the blockade and, as a next step, start blocking, for example, Ukrainian exports of chicken or eggs, which currently enjoy preferences?
If the Polish government does not solve the problems that exist now, does not speak frankly with the Polish protesters, does not operate with true figures and does not communicate them to the protesters, then yes, farmers and other professional groups will expand their protests. Because again, it seems to me that all these protests are fuelled by a third party. Whether consciously or unconsciously, this is Russia’s work to put Ukraine at odds with Poland and sow chaos and uncertainty in Poland itself.
- Speaking of the third party. While Polish farmers are scattering Ukrainian grain on the border, grain exports from Russia to the European Union have not only continued, but even increased. For example, in 2023, it grew 10 times.
This is another reason why I think there are Russian ears in these protests. So why is everyone around us focusing on Ukrainian grain and not Russian grain, and why aren’t they protesting against it? It’s because they found fault with Ukrainian farmers. The principle is: who’s the worst offender? My daughter-in-law..
THE POLISH PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE REAL THREAT FROM RUSSIA
- You are quite well acquainted with the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov. What was your impression of him before the war and at what stage of relations between Ukraine and Russia did you realise that war was inevitable?
I actually had a few meetings with Lavrov before I became foreign minister, because at that time (2013-2014) I was dealing with frozen conflicts in the OSCE, where Ukraine was chairing at the time. We held a number of meetings on these topics in Moscow and Geneva, where Lavrov was present from time to time. But in February 2014, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, I tried to contact Lavrov as foreign minister. He did not accept this contact. That’s when it became clear to me that the Russians had decided that they would occupy the territory of Ukraine at any cost.
- You have been speaking out against Russian aggression since the beginning of the war in 2014. It was in that year that the world-famous song “Putin-puilo… lalalala” was sung by you. Have you ever sung it again?
When I came to Poland as an ambassador, I was, of course, asked to sing it again, although not at such big events. When the war broke out, one of the events in support of Ukraine was held in Lodz, and I had to sing it again there together with Polish artists. In fact, this phrase is quite true, and maybe even too weak in relation to what Putin has done to Ukraine over the past 10 years. And what he can do to the rest of the world and beyond.
- You became quite popular because of this song. How did you feel when it happened?
Of course, it gave me a little bit of confidence, but at that time there were also a lot of threats from Russia. And I also had to change the direction of my work from minister to ambassador, but this helped, by the way, in Poland, because the Polish people really understand the real threat that Russia is today.
A BUSINESS CARD FROM A UKRAINIAN BUSINESSMAN:
INTERESTING FACTS OR WHAT IS KNOWN PUBLICLY
no. 1 At a meeting of the UN General Assembly on 27 March 2014, he presented the resolution “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, which was approved by an overwhelming majority of votes (100 in favour, 11 against).
no. 2 Represented Ukraine at the quadripartite Geneva talks on the settlement of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine with the participation of senior diplomatic representatives of Ukraine, the EU, the US and Russia on 17 April 2014.
no. 3 On 14 June 2014, in an attempt to calm down the protesters picketing the Russian Embassy to protest against Russian support for terrorists, Deshchytsia sang a part of the popular song “Putin is a dick”. In this way, he “tried to resolve a dangerous situation”. The song gained international fame. The diplomat’s scandalous song was viewed over 2 million 167 thousand times on YouTube in the first few days.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Embassy of Ukraine in Poland, with the assistance of the Polish government, has opened a hub that has established a system for transferring weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, which comes both from Poland and through Poland from other countries.
SOME BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:
Andrii Deshchytsia (born 22 September 1965, Spasiv village, Sokal district, Lviv region) is a Ukrainian diplomat. Candidate of Political Science since 1995.
in 1989 he graduated from Ivan Franko State University of Lviv, and in 1995 he graduated from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, where he received a master’s degree in history.
In 1996-1999, he worked as Press Secretary, First Secretary of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Poland.
August 2006 – December 2007 – Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
October 2012 – February 2014 – Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
January – December 2013 – Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for Conflict Resolution.
2014-2022 – Ambassador of Ukraine to Poland.
He was awarded the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland and the Finnish Order of the White Rose.
He is fluent in English, Russian and Polish.
Author: Alyona Kaplina