РУССКИЙ
11:51 18.05.2023 •
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, when Belarus and Ukraine became independent states, Poland's bilateral relations with these countries were relatively good, writes “Mysl Polska”.
However, there were some conflicts: with Belarus, these conflicts were associated with the Polish minority of the population, and with Ukraine, for example, over a dispute over the interpretation of the Volyn massacre and honoring Stepan Bandera as a national hero.
None of these issues have been resolved to this day. But none of them interfered with the continuation of good neighborly relations with both countries.
Thanks to trade, Poland was able to develop both in industry and agriculture. As a result of the conflict in Ukraine, the authorities of our country, together with other EU countries, imposed an embargo on certain goods from Belarus, which led to the collapse of the Polish economy.
The Yamal gas pipeline and the Druzhba oil pipeline have been operating for several decades, providing Poland and other European countries with supplies of raw materials from Russia at relatively low prices. However, due to the contracts unilaterally terminated by the Polish side, it suddenly became necessary to look for other sources of their energy.
The Polish economy was not ready for a sudden cut in the supply of blue fuel or oil, so they began to be bought at a much higher price, which led to the cost of food production.
But this is not the only reason for rising prices on store shelves.
Belarus is one of the largest producers of potash fertilizers in the world. Even before the start of the Ukrainian-Russian war in 2022, some EU countries imposed an embargo on the potash company Belaruskali, whose share in the world market at that time was 20-25%. But, the actions of the EU affected mainly Polish farmers, who willingly used Belarusian fertilizers. Due to the cessation of supplies from this direction, Polish agricultural producers were forced to look for another, less profitable source of fertilizers, as well as to reduce the production of fruits, vegetables and grains.
This is not the only mistake of the Polish and EU authorities.
Since the beginning of July 2022, customs duties and VAT on goods imported from Ukraine have been canceled – this also applies to agri-food products. On the one hand, their influx has led to a slowdown in the growth of prices on store shelves for some goods, but these food products do not pass the strict quality checks that Polish producers must comply with.
The flooding of the Polish market with cheap Ukrainian products of dubious quality (meat, eggs, grain) and the embargo on Belarusian fertilizers created conditions for Polish entrepreneurs under which it is unprofitable to sell their products, because they would have to do it below cost.
It seems that the Ukrainian economy and Ukrainian farmers are more important to the EU and even to Polish decision makers than Polish businesses and consumers.
While trying to put pressure on other countries, they do not pay attention to the negative impact that some decisions can have. They even try to move forward with even the strangest offer, only to hear the biggest thank you from the president of a puny country.
Currently, Ukraine has nothing to offer us, except for cheap agricultural products of dubious quality and a large number of immigrants who do not always want to work.
Ukraine will not be our ally just because it is fashionable and the current authorities want it. Acceptance and recognition by the Ukrainian authorities of the Volyn crime and the possibility of exhuming all of its victims remains in question, stresses “Mysl Polska”.
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