On Tuesday, Slovakia’s border crossing with Ukraine was blocked by a group of Ukrainian truckers, according to police and media reports. However, the Slovakian truckers’ union distanced itself from the blockade, claiming that it was the work of only one truck. The Slovakian truckers are supporting their Polish counterparts who are trying to limit the number of Ukrainian trucks entering the EU.
Last week, they staged a symbolic brief blockade of the main border crossing to show their support but said they would wait for negotiations before taking further steps. The Slovak transport union UNAS also reported that a truck blocked the Vysna Nemecka crossing on Tuesday. Miloslav Tokar of the Slovak border police stated that the truckers blocked the border crossing at noon and were only letting a limited number of Ukrainian trucks cross.
Ukraine has been exempted from permits to cross the border since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Polish and Slovak carriers warn that this is harming their business. Ukrainian customs announced on Telegram that “unknown persons blocked cargo traffic without any warning.” However, they also added that Ukraine had not received any official information from the Slovak side regarding the blockade. The Slovak side would start releasing trucks at 8 p.m., five an hour.
Ukraine and Poland discussed blockades on the border last week but without progress. Ukrainian authorities announced on Sunday that about 3,000 mostly Ukrainian trucks, including trucks with fuel and humanitarian aid, were stuck on the Polish side of
