Ukraine, Poland Agree to Establish Joint Border Customs Control

Ukraine and Poland agreed on Sunday to set up a joint border customs administration to work with a joint railway company to facilitate passenger movement and increase Ukraine's export potential.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Poland's President Andrzej Duda called for strengthening cooperation between the two countries at a meeting in Kyiv on Sunday by providing assistance to Warsaw's confused neighbors.

“The Polish-Ukrainian border should unite not divide,” Polish President Andrzej Duda told lawmakers as he became the first foreign leader to give a speech in person to the Ukrainian parliament after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Most Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war have joined the European Union across the borders of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. Poland gives more than 3 million Ukrainians the right to life, labor rights, and social benefits.

Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksander Kubrakov said two neighbors are working to facilitate the transportation of Ukrainian goods to the European Union.

About 25 million tonnes of grain are stagnant in Ukraine and cannot leave Ukraine due to infrastructure problems. Ukraine used to export most commodities from ports, but since the invasion of Russia, it has been forced to export by train or from a small port on the Donau River.

The European Commission will publish a report in June on whether to Ukraine's bids for EU accession. This can be a long process that is already causing disagreements within the bloc.