The Ukrainian side would be happy to do something. But it is physically unable to do so. Because the protesters have no problems with Ukraine. And their demands are not to the Ukrainian side. And not even to the Polish authorities. So it is useless to seek an agreement with the Polish government.
So what is the problem? What is the problem of Polish farmers?
There are two main problems. The first is the price. Over the past year, the price of grain and corn on world markets has fallen by 30 percent. And now it is somewhere around the level of 2021. Even before the world plunged into record inflation in 40 years.
This price is not specific to the market near Krakow, where Ukrainian grain has recently emerged. It is, in fact, the global market price—one universally applicable value for the entire world. The transit of Ukrainian grain through Polish territory has minimal influence on this worldwide price.
The second problem is the green transition. It is the fight against climate change and saving the environment. Greta Thunberg and Co. in action. Agriculture in the EU must abandon effective chemicals (plant protection) and switch to biological methods. This is a less effective and more expensive method.
And farmers across Europe are protesting against this. And they demand more subsidies. Not from Kyiv. And not even from Warsaw, but from Brussels. And these protests take different, but always very radical forms.
And all of this is superimposed on the problematic model of the agricultural market in Europe, and especially in Poland, where agriculture is not a business, where, as in Ukraine, both farmers and large agricultural enterprises make a lot of money. No, it's not. This is a social program where people will receive subsidies. Just to keep them in the village and not go to the city. It doesn't matter that they are inefficient and uncompetitive. Just let them sit there.
Do you remember how Ukrainian populists were buzzing all over the place about the super Polish model of agricultural business, where there are more than a million farmers?
And here is the face of this model. Bumpkins on subsidies, smilingly pouring Ukrainian grain out of railroad cars. Is this the face of a Ukrainian farmer you would like to see?
So the problem is not the Poles. The problem is socialism and the whole social group of parasites it has spawned. And these parasites will fight for their money. Because they are not able, unlike Ukrainian farmers, to earn money without subsidies.
Why Ukraine's border? First, it is effective. Their demands are addressed to Brussels. They know that supporting Ukraine is a priority for the EU authorities. So they hit where it hurts. And Russian influence, of course.
Russians cannot create a protest. But the Russians always use existing problems in the system to put pressure. And with the help of their agents and useful idiots, they are trying to direct this protest against Ukraine.
After all, if 10 percent of Americans believe that the Earth is flat, why shouldn't some uneducated people from a Polish village believe in a "Ukrainian conspiracy"? And at the same time, the Russians are trying to make Ukrainians hate the Poles. The picture of the grain being thrown on camera is a psychological blow to Ukrainians. They know where to hit. They know how to provoke. And it is foolish of us to fall for these provocations.
And no, the Poles do not buy Russian grain. Poland is basically a grain exporter, and they don't need to import 12 million tons of grain. This is a fake, which for some reason has been picked up by many in Ukraine without checking this information against the criterion of common sense.
Why don't the Poles oppose it? Poles are not farmers. It's the same story. You have more than a million of these subsidized farmers in your country. They have families. They have friends. This is a lot of people. So you will not oppose them. Even if you don't like their methods.
Moreover, the West always respects the right of social groups to fight for their interests. Do you think Parisians like it when French farmers throw mud at Paris? Of course not. But for the French, the right to protest for their rights is more important than anything else. It's the same with the Poles.
So what should Ukrainians do? Get used to it. This happens all the time in the EU. And Ukraine's accession to the EU will be accompanied by such covens. There is no escape from this.
Second, only 5 percent of Ukraine's agricultural exports go through Poland. It would be wise to redirect these volumes. So that nothing goes through Poland. Then Polish farmers will have no reason to create problems at the border.
And the main thing is to keep a cool head. Do not allow the Russians to provoke hatred of Poland and Poles. We should not give a trump card to pro-Russian forces in Ukraine that will mimic Eurosceptics.
About the author. Sergey Fursa, investment expert, blogger.
The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the blog authors.