Polish farmers are protesting food imports from Ukraine, saying they are angry about unfair competition.
Ukraine's president has invited Polish leaders to meet at their common border to resolve a blockade by Polish farmers protesting the import of Ukrainian food products.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on social media on Wednesday that he, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and representatives of the European Union have proposed a border conference to be held by Saturday, February 24, the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He said he hopes it will be done.
“This is national security,” Zelenskiy said. “I'm ready to stand on the border with the government.”
“We have had enough misunderstandings. We should not humiliate each other. We should not humiliate the Ukrainian or Polish peasants. We need unity. We need unity. , we need a solution between Ukraine and Poland and at the European-wide level,” President Zelenskiy said in a statement.
There was no immediate reaction from the Polish government.
President Zelenskyy added that Ukraine cannot accept the appearance of slogans supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin in protests, after such banners were posted on Tuesday.
Earlier, Polish authorities had expressed concern over slogans praising Putin and the war against Ukraine.
Poland, a member of NATO and the European Union, has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion, accepting an unlimited number of refugees and providing weapons to Ukraine.
Poles largely support Ukraine, with Moscow's past repression deeply ingrained in their generational memory.
But tensions are rising as Polish farmers accuse imports of Ukrainian grain and other food products of driving down prices and damaging their livelihoods.
Polish farmers are among those across Europe protesting against competition with Ukraine and the EU's environmental policies, which they say will increase production costs.
On Tuesday, they staged a day of large-scale protests, blocking nearly all traffic on the border with Ukraine and angering Kiev, which has been escalating from previous demonstrations.
“Under the influence of Russian agents”
Poland's Foreign Ministry said early Wednesday that extremists were trying to hijack the protests “possibly under the influence of Russian agents.”
“We are most concerned about the emergence of anti-Ukrainian slogans and slogans glorifying President Vladimir Putin and the war he is waging,” the newspaper said.
A tractor at a protest in Poland's southern Silesia region on Tuesday carried a Soviet flag and a banner that read: “Settle relations with Putin, Ukraine, Brussels and our rulers.” . The photos were published daily in Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper.
Poland's Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński called the banner a “scandal” and said it was immediately secured by police and prosecutors were investigating.
“I would never consent to such criminal activity,” he said.
Under Polish law, openly promoting a totalitarian regime can result in up to three years in prison.
The Foreign Ministry called on protest organizers to “identify and exclude from the movement” the initiators, saying it was necessary in Poland's interests.
“The current situation of Polish farmers is the result of President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the disruption of the world economy, and not because Ukrainians are defending themselves from aggression,” the ministry said.
Polish farmers blocked eight major roads on Wednesday. Police said protests continued at the Medica and Kolchova border crossings to Ukraine, but passenger traffic was smooth and some trucks were also passing through.