Poland suspends cargo transport by Belarusian and Russian trucks

May 29, BPN. Poland will stop cargo transportation by trucks, trailers and semi-trailers registered in Belarus or Russia at its border checkpoints starting June 1, PAP reports.

Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński signed an ordinance to this effect after the Belarusian Supreme Court upheld the sentence on Andrej Pačobut, a journalist and Polish minority activist.

The Coordination Council, a group of critics of Alaksandr Łukašenka, called the ban “alarming.” It said most Belarusian logistics companies in the EU were not involved in evading sanctions.

Polish transport companies have protested against Belarusian and Russian competitors operating in Poland, blocking traffic into Belarus at a border checkpoint earlier this month.

The EU has banned Belarusian carriers from moving cargo by road through its territory since April 2022 as part of sanctions against Moscow and Minsk. Belarus responded by barring EU-registered vehicles from its territory, with some exceptions. Poland closed one of its checkpoints indefinitely after Belarus had sentenced Pačobut to prison.