23 May 2023 15:26

State Duma asks govt to ban Polish trucks from transiting Russian territory

MOSCOW. May 23 (Interfax) - The Russian State Duma on Tuesday voted in favor of an appeal asking the Russian government to ban "Polish carriers from transporting goods by road across Russian territory".

At the same time, the State Duma proposed allowing "Polish transport vehicles to move from the state border of the Russian Federation to the nearest customs terminals to reattach trailers or semi-trailers, or to transfer cargo to trucks [operated by] Russian carriers," the document said.

In addition, Russian MPs have asked the government to ban Polish carriers from filling up their trucks with petrol bought at Russian domestic prices, and to set petrol prices for them that match those in the European Union.

These amendments could be introduced into the government's September 30, 2022 executive order on measures to implement the Russian president's decree on certain issues related to international cargo shipments by road, dated September 29, 2022, the document said.

The State Duma's request is a response to the Polish authorities' anti-Russian policy, it said.

"Acting in violation of the norms of diplomatic relations, the Polish authorities seized the building of the Russian embassy's school in Warsaw on April 29, 2023," Russian parliamentarians said.

Members of the State Duma "insist on adopting response measures in relation to the Republic of Poland, to mirror the European Union's decision as part of the so-called fifth package of sanctions that banned Russian and Belarusian carriers from transporting goods by road in the EU counties."

State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin earlier proposed considering the option to ban trucks operated by Polish carriers from transiting Russian territory.