Slovak border crossing with Ukraine blocked as wider truck protest looms

A Slovak border crossing with Ukraine was blocked on Tuesday, police and media reported, although the country’s haulers’ union distanced itself from the move and called it the action of a single truck.

Slovak truckers have supported Polish truckers’ efforts to win restrictions on the number of Ukrainian trucks entering the European Union.

They staged a symbolic brief blockage of the main crossing last week to show support but have said they will wait for talks before taking further steps.

Truckers from Ukraine have been exempt from seeking permits to cross since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Polish and Slovak drivers say that has undercut business.

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Miloslav Tokar, from Slovakia’s Border and Foreign police unit, said truckers had blocked the crossing – the only between the two countries for heavy vehicles – at midday and were allowing a limited number of Ukrainian trucks through.

Slovak news agency TASR reported one truck had blocked the border crossing at Vysne Nemecke on Tuesday, citing Slovak haulers' union UNAS chief Stanislav Skala.

Mr Skala told Reuters by telephone the group would wait until talks between EU, Polish and Ukrainian officials before officially joining blockades with Polish peers.

The Ukrainian Customs service said on Telegram messenger that “unknown persons blocked the movement of freight transport without any warnings” but said Ukraine had not received any official information from the Slovak side.

The service said the Slovak side would begin allowing trucks through from 8pm with the aim to allow five an hour to pass.

Truckers insist on the return of a limited number of licences for Ukrainian truckers, a demand Kyiv has said it would not consider.

Ukraine and Poland held talks on the blockages at their border last week but both sides reported no progress.

On Sunday, Ukrainian authorities said about 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks, including those carrying fuel and humanitarian aid, were stuck on the Polish side of the border. – Reuters

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