Russia’s lower house of parliament, the State Duma, adopted a resolution calling on the government to ban Polish lorries from entering the country.

The resolution followed an earlier statement by Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, who said Poland must be punished for having “betrayed the historical memory” of the Soviet Union liberating Poland from Nazi Germany with a series of hostile acts against Russia.

“The State Duma deputies address the Russian Federation’s government and appeal for retaliatory means towards the Republic of Poland reflecting the decisions by the European Union’s bodies in the framework of the fifth package of sanctions, adopted on 9 April 2022,” the resolution reads, as quoted by the TASS state news agency.

In its proposal, the State Duma proposes to ban Polish trucks from entering Russia while allowing them to stop at the nearest customs inspection points so that the goods they are transporting can be loaded onto Russian trucks.

The Duma is also demanding that Polish trucks pay special petrol prices.

The resolution also refers to EU countries deciding to ban Russian and Belarussian cars, except those carrying medicine, mail or petroleum products.

Poland must pay for removing Soviet monuments and for its “Russophobic policy”, Volodin said in a new Telegram post published Tuesday.

Banning Polish lorries will ensure over 20,000 truck drivers lose their jobs, and the Polish government will have to explain why this happened, he added.

In his view, Polish authorities should be reminded of what country Poland owes its existence to. “If they have any problems with that, they should give back the territories received after World War II by the Soviet Union’s decision,” Volodin said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki already reacted to Volodin’s statements on Monday, calling his comments “typical Russian propaganda.”

(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | EURACTIV.pl)

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