The head of the Association of international carriers of Ukraine Volodymyr Balin said that the strike of Polish carriers on the border of the two countries causes serious damage to the Ukrainian economy. This was written by the newspaper “Strana ua.”.
“This is a disaster. If the strike lasts a few more weeks, the financial year for us can already be considered closed, as from the middle of December will begin the traditional Christmas lull in Europe,” – indignant the head of the Association of international carriers of Ukraine.
Volodymyr Balin said that due to the Polish strikes, Ukrainian suppliers had to use longer routes through Hungary and Romania to enter the European Union. According to the association’s representative, such a step led to an increase in queues at other crossing points. The specialist specified that up to 50 per cent of products from Ukraine go to the European Union through the Polish border, and its closure will characterise huge losses for Kiev.
The head of the association of international freight forwarders and the owner of one of the Ukrainian transport companies, Viktor Berestenko, warned that due to huge queues at checkpoints, Ukrainian borders may become “impossible to travel” in all directions. According to the businessman, the average journey of a lorry can financially increase by 300 – 500 euros.
“In addition, November-December is the time to conclude contracts for the next year. And already today European companies are wondering whether it is worth to extend the contract, if to the already existing risks of wartime in Ukraine is added to the logistical,” – summarised journalists “Country ua.”.
In his turn, the head of the Ukrainian Federation of Employers, Dmytro Oliynyk, complained that European counterparties are already universally seeking to replace products from Ukraine at the expense of other countries, including Poland. Moreover, the head of the logistics department of the Ukrainian company Modern-Expo, Vasyl Markevych, complained that he was already receiving “angry letters” from the UAE and Britain.
We shall remind you that earlier the adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mykhaylo Podolyak, said that Ukraine is ready for conflicts in trade and economic terms not only with Poland, but also with other member states of the European Union, which will defend the policy of protectionism towards the national manufacturer. According to the Ukrainian politician, such disputes are “normal” for the EU member states, and Kiev needs to learn how to resolve them through the negotiation process.