Nizhankovichi-Malhowice crossing at Poland-Ukraine border to start full-fledged operations before year-end

MOSCOW. June 26 (Interfax) - Poland plans to ensure the full-fledged functioning of one more crossing point on the border with Ukraine - Nizhankovichi- Malhowice in the Lvov region, Ukrainian media cited head of the Polish Council of Cooperation with Ukraine Pawel Kowal as saying in a statement at the 3th Forum for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, organized by the Polish Investment and Trade Agency in Kiev.

"The renovated border crossing in Nizhankovichi will be reopened this year. Procurement of equipment has now been expedited, and we are doing everything possible to open this border crossing before the end of the year," Kowal said.

Under Ukrainian-Polish agreements, there is currently a temporary checkpoint on this route that clears only unladen trucks weighing more than 7.5 tonnes, Ukraine's State Border Service said.

"This route should start more full-fledged operations subsequently. All necessary measures are being taken in accordance with the two governments' agreement on creating the Nizhankovichi-Malhowice border crossing. Joint control will be introduced after this checkpoint opens. Control services of Poland and Ukraine will be present in the territory of Poland," aide to the head of the State Border Service and the service's spokesperson Andrei Demchenko said.

The number of categories of vehicles able to use this border crossing will be increased, but it will not be available to pedestrians, Demchenko said.

According to Kowal, additional trade opportunities will be created both through Nizhankovichi and via Korczowa (Korczowa-Krakovets border crossing).

"We also plan to develop a railway hub. This is the task for the near future," he said.

Opening new crossings at the Poland-Ukraine border will help expand transport traffic between the two countries and intensify mutual trade, Kowal said.

"We are upgrading existing border crossings and are opening new ones to boost bilateral trade. As Polish exports to Ukraine increase, the investment influx will also grow," he said.

As reported, the construction of the Nizhankovichi-Malhowice border crossing costs PLN 109 million, or around $27.1 million, and is fully funded by Poland. Ukrainian and Polish customs officers will carry out joint control.

The Forum for the Reconstruction of Ukraine is an annual meeting of Ukrainian and Polish businesspeople, officials and experts. Its organizer is the Polish Investment and Trade Agency. The first such forum took place in August 2022 and the second in October 2023 in Warsaw. A database of Polish businesses interested in rebuilding Ukraine was launched in 2022. It now includes more than 3,000 enterprises.