Slovak truckers lift blockade on the border with Ukraine for three days
Ukrainians threatened to block the villages closest to the border with trucks
Slovak truckers have broken a three-day blockade of the country's only border crossing with Ukraine for trucks, Reuters reports.
The head of the carriers' association said that the protesters will decide on further actions on Tuesday.
Earlier, Slovak truckers joined Polish drivers in blocking border crossings with Ukraine, demanding the restoration of a permit system that has restricted Ukrainian carriers from operating in the EU.
They complain that Ukrainian truckers are willing to work at lower prices and take orders to deliver goods across the EU, not just between the EU and Ukraine.
Stanislav Skala, head of the Slovak truckers' association UNAS, told Reuters that drivers broke the blockade after truckers in line threatened to block roads before reaching the border crossing. And some villages near the border could be blockaded, with no access for emergency services.
During the blockade, only four trucks per hour were allowed to cross the border, with the exception of military and humanitarian aid and perishable goods.
Poland, for its part, is demanding the return of the permit system for Ukrainian truck drivers, which was abolished after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine opposes this measure.