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Polish farmers dump grain in protest as Ukraine dispute deepens

www.theguardian.com Polish farmers dump grain in protest as Ukraine dispute deepens

Volodymyr Zelenskiy accuses Warsaw of ‘mockery’ as farmers blockade Ukrainian grain at border

Polish farmers dump grain in protest as Ukraine dispute deepens

Poland’s bitter dispute with Ukraine over farm imports has escalated as Polish farmers dumped grain from a freight train as part of nationwide protests and Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Warsaw of “mockery”.

In a video address on Monday, Ukraine’s president described the blockade by Polish farmers as absurd at a time when Russia was bombing his country. “The situation is not about grain, but rather about politics,” he said, after a visit to the frontline town of Kupiansk.

He added: “Near Kupiansk, not far from the Russian border where enemy artillery is constantly active, the news from the Polish border looks like a mockery. We need joint decisions, rational decisions to get out of the situation.”

Zelenskiy said only 5% of Ukraine’s agricultural exports went through Poland and complained that the slowdown was undermining “solidarity” on a daily basis. The two countries, plus anyone who cared “about the fate of Europe”, needed to resolve the problem, he added.

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