Poland has announced its readiness to consider relocating border control on the Ukrainian-Polish border to its territory if the situation in Ukraine poses a security threat to service personnel and citizens crossing the border. The Polish Ministry of Interior and Administration stated this in response to a request from the Polish Press Agency (PAP). At the same time, the agency emphasized that no final decisions on introducing the new format have been made yet, and any changes must take place within the framework of Schengen area rules and with notification to the European Commission.
Reason: strikes on border infrastructure
The initiative is being discussed against the background of Russian strikes on facilities near the Polish border. According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, following a missile strike on Ukraine near the border in late September, two checkpoints — Dorohusk and Zosin — had to be evacuated. A few days later, a jet drone crashed in the village of Starovolynske in Volyn Oblast, and the blast wave damaged the premises of the Yagotyn checkpoint. It was these incidents that triggered negotiations on how to maintain the border-crossing regime even if infrastructure on the Ukrainian side is destroyed.
Warsaw's conditions: joint checks only
Poland's key condition is that Ukrainian border guards will not be able to independently carry out controls on Polish territory. Under current Schengen rules, representatives of a non-Schengen state cannot unilaterally conduct border checks on the territory of a member state — this applies to both checking people's documents and controlling goods for compliance with EU requirements. Therefore, according to the Polish Interior Ministry, the new format, if introduced, must be based on joint checks by both states, and transferring independent powers to Ukraine on the Polish side is not planned.
Status of negotiations and the role of Yagotyn–Dorohusk
The Ukrainian side initiated the discussion in September: the Ministry of Restoration, Infrastructure, and Territories of Ukraine opened negotiations with neighboring countries on the possibility of relocating checkpoints across the border due to shelling. Specifically regarding the Polish direction, the issue was planned to be submitted to a working meeting of delegations at the Yagotyn–Dorohusk checkpoint. The Polish Interior Ministry confirmed that it is ready to agree to the relocation of control "if the situation in Ukraine changes and for security reasons there is a necessity" for such a step, but reiterated that no decisions have been made yet.
What this means in practice
Relocating control to Polish territory, according to the parties' plan, should achieve two effects: maintain the movement of people and cargo across the border even in the event of destruction on the Ukrainian side and reduce risks for service personnel and passengers in the event of new Russian attacks. However, the implementation of the mechanism rests on the Schengen procedure — agreement with the European Commission will be required since it concerns the control of the movement of people and goods. For now, the format remains at the discussion stage rather than an acting procedure.
