Poland ready to temporarily close border to Ukrainian agricultural products - Polish PM

WARSAW. Feb 28 (Interfax) - Warsaw is holding talks with Kiev on temporarily banning the movement of goods over the border, Poland's Radio RMF reported on Wednesday, citing Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"We have discussed the possibility of a temporary border closure and halting commodity exchanges with representatives from the Ukrainian side," the radio quoted Tusk as saying.

In the meantime, Tusk said "this temporary measure would be sensitive to both sides."

These issues are expected to be addressed at a meeting between Tusk and activists representing protesting agricultural manufacturers, which is scheduled for Thursday. Commenting on the prospects for the meeting, Tusk said, "I am not the prime minister of Poland in order to leave the EU and block the border with Ukraine."

"I am ready for tough decisions if we are talking about the border with Ukraine, but with prior agreement with Kiev, to ensure that there is no unneeded tension. We should look for a long-term solution," he said.

"Possibly, we should be talking about extra payments for grain, which will help sell Polish products as soon as possible," Tusk said. He also said the Polish state can generally help to make Polish grain more attractive in terms of price compared to Ukrainian grain.

Mass protests by agricultural manufacturers against the duty-free supply of agricultural products from Ukraine have been held in Poland for a considerable amount of time.