Duda's party seeks complete embargo on grain products from Ukraine and Russia
MPs from Duda's party want a complete ban on agricultural products from Ukraine (Getty Images)
Deputies of President Andrzej Duda's opposition Law and Justice party will submit a draft resolution to the Sejm calling on the government to impose a full embargo on agricultural and food products from Ukraine and Russia, withdraw from the EU's Green Deal and introduce subsidies for farmers, according to Polish Radio.
According to MP Mariusz Blaszczak, the resolution contains three main provisions.
"Firstly, it is an issue that determines whether Polish agriculture should be or not, i.e. the embargo on food and agricultural products imported from Ukraine. Of course, we are in favor of this embargo also applying to food and agricultural products coming from Russia and Belarus," Blaszczak says.
He adds that the second requirement of the resolution is the rejection of the so-called Green Deal of the EU. "The Green Deal is extremely dangerous for the future of agriculture - Polish and European agriculture," he says.
"The third point concerns support, and compensation for farmers who suffer losses related to everything that is connected with Putin's restoration of the Russian Empire and the consequences of the war that is the result of Russia's attack on Ukraine. The Polish government is obliged to support farmers," Blaszczak adds.
He says that the PiS club will request consideration of the draft resolution at the Sejm session, which will begin on March 6.
Former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (PiS) said that "the resolution obliges the government to take immediate action to protect the interests of the Polish countryside and the entire Polish economy."
Poland's position
Polish farmers began blockading the border with Ukraine on February 9, demanding that the decision on duty-free trade between Ukraine and the EU be canceled.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Ukraine and Poland are "negotiating a temporary closure of the border for the exchange of goods." The Ukrainian government denied the talks.
In addition, Tusk called for comprehensive EU sanctions against agricultural products from Russia and Belarus. He plans to propose a draft resolution to the Sejm calling on the European Commission on this issue.
The Law and Justice party was defeated in the October 2023 parliamentary elections. The new government was formed by a coalition of three parties and headed by Donald Tusk.
President Andrzej Duda was a Law and Justice member of the Sejm and received official support from PiS before the 2020 presidential election.
Read more about the relations between Poland and Ukraine in RBC-Ukraine's article.
