On 21 November, Slovak truckers began blocking the passage of trucks toward Ukraine through the Vyšné Nemecké-Uzhhorod checkpoint, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports.
“According to the Border Police of the Slovak Republic, today at 13:30, they began blocking the movement of trucks moving towards the Slovak checkpoint Vyšné Nemecké, adjacent to the Ukrainian checkpoint Uzhhorod,” the report reads.
The Border Service says that Slovakia’s Union of Slovak Road Hauliers has initiated and been carrying out the strike, while “the duration of the blockade has not been announced.”
As of 14:30, a queue of about 300 trucks was observed in Slovakia in front of the Vyšné Nemecké checkpoint heading to Ukraine, while cars and buses were crossing as usual, according to the report.
Blocking Ukrainian border amid military aid hurdles
Polish haulers went on strike on 6 November, blocking all major checkpoints on the Ukrainian border, almost completely disrupting the movement of trucks. On 13 November, the Polish carriers refused to unblock the border with Ukraine following talks with Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, on 16 November, the Union of Slovak Road Hauliers blocked the Ukrainian border in their country for an hour. Now, they resumed the strike for an unknown period of time.
Earlier, Slovakia’s new pro-Russian government halted the nation’s military assistance to Ukraine.
The blockade at the Ukrainian border in Poland and Slovakia is occurring alongside significant obstacles in providing military aid to Ukraine. The Pentagon is nearing the limit of its budget for Ukrainian aid due to a deadlock in Congress over foreign aid funding. Simultaneously, Hungary, a de-facto ally of Russia in the European Union, obstructs the EU’s 500 million euro military aid package for Ukraine.
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