Farmers’ protests: Poland cancels planned talks with Ukraine over Solsky suspicion
13 May 2024 16:36
Poland has cancelled the planned talks with Ukraine on the issue of farmers’ protests at the border because of the scandal involving corruption allegations against former Minister of Agricultural Policy Mykola Solsky. This was stated by Polish Deputy Minister of Agriculture Michal Kolodziejczak in an interview with Dziennik Gazeta Prawna, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Kolodziejczak said that the next round of talks was to take place on 14 May, but it was cancelled because some representatives from Ukraine were accused of corruption.
“Obviously, we are not going to negotiate with people who are accused of corruption,” he said,
– Kolodziejczak said
He added that “this issue should be clarified”.
In addition, the Polish deputy minister said that the protests of Polish farmers are almost over, and those that still take place from time to time are “organised by political order”.
In his opinion, these actions are organised by people who are “used to campaigning before the European Parliament elections”.
It should be noted that on 9 May, members of the Verkhovna Rada supported the resignation of Mykola Solsky from the post of Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food. Solsky wrote his resignation letter himself.
It should be noted that the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solsky submitted his resignation to the Verkhovna Rada on 25 April after being served with a notice of suspicion of misappropriation of state land worth UAH 291 million and an attempt to misappropriate another UAH 190 million.
The minister, for his part, said that this relates to the period from 2017 to 2018, when he was practicing law. Solsky also said that the case involved a dispute between state-owned enterprises and individuals who had been legally transferred land.
The High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a measure of restraint on Solsky in the form of arrest with an alternative of bail in the amount of UAH 75 million 700 thousand.
Theminister was bailed out by the court in the amount of UAH 75.7 million, but the ministry did not specify who did it. Mykola Solsky was released from custody and, moreover, continued to perform his duties as Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.
Solsky had been in office since March 2022.
