The European Union set off a rush to the border for thousands of drivers when it announced Advance this month It will prevent Russian and Belarusian trucks from operating in the bloc in response to the war in Ukraine.
On April 16, the line of Russian and Belarusian trucks wanting to leave the European Union before sanctions take effect extended 80 kilometers (50 miles) on the border of Poland and Belarus, at a border crossing in the Polish town of Koroštyn.
Operators of Russian and Belarusian shipping routes It has been blocked since April 16 From working in the EU, except for those transporting necessities such as food, postage, medicines and energy. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russia, And he supported Vladimir Putin’s war by hosting Russian forces in the months leading up to the invasion and Allow them to cross To Ukraine.
After up to 400 vehicles They were still waiting at border crossings as the midnight deadline of 16 April passed, with some remaining stuck at the border for up to 33 hours, and thousands more believed to be in the EU. Long queues were also reported in the Polish city of Bobroniki.
The trucking industry is feeling the pressure
The war in Ukraine has exacerbated the already existing situation Shortage of truck drivers, as Ukrainian truck drivers began leaving their jobs in Western Europe to return home and fight. Federal Freight Transportation, Logistics and Disposal Association Estimated in March More than 100,000 Ukrainian truck drivers – many of whom work for Polish and Lithuanian transport companies – could be drafted into military service.
A European ban on Russian and Belarusian vehicles could further disrupt the sector, although the European head of logistics company XPO He told the Financial Times It is unlikely to be as upsetting as losing Ukrainian drivers. There are potentially thousands more Russian and Belarusian vehicles trapped in the EU, the BBC reports, although it is not clear what will happen to them now that the deadline has passed.
Sanctions are reshaping a globalized world
Should Europe seize sanctioned trucks, for example Russia? He can take revenge Against Polish truck drivers who pass through the country on their way to or from countries such as Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the head of the trade body for Polish transport groups told the Financial Times.
The sanctions imposed on Russia, and the accumulation of trucks on the Polish border, show the extent of their scope Western sanctions These factors are reshaping economic borders and forcing countries to turn inward, reducing their dependence on certain international trading partners. The European Union was Russia’s number one trading partner before the war, as it imported More than 158 billion euros The value of goods from the bloc in 2021. But a trucking ban will More paralysis Trade, even if Europe tries to retain access to essential goods e.g Energy and fertilizers. Not only is Europe cutting off trade with Russia by land, it is also cracking down on Russian ships entering its ports, as well as… She seeks to wean herself Stopping energy imports from the country. In the United States, automobile manufacturers They rush To secure their own supplies of raw materials used in the manufacture of electric car batteries, the government is turning to what it needs Strategic petroleum supplies To try to compensate for the loss of Russian oil.
While I will It takes months Before Russia bears the full burden of sanctions, the lines of the globalized world are being redrawn as Putin’s war in Ukraine continues, and these lines are unlikely to return to what they were before.
