Poland began to enforce a European Union (EU) ban Sunday on all Russian-registered passenger cars seeking to enter the country — the latest in a series of sanctions on Russia in punishment for its war against Ukraine. Under the EU’s decision, motor vehicles registered in the Russian Federation are no longer allowed to enter the territory of the 27-member bloc.
“A car registered in Russia has no right to enter Poland,” Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said Saturday, announcing the ban that took effect hours later at midnight.
“This is another element of the sanctions imposed on Russia and its citizens in connection with the brutal war in Ukraine, due to the fact that the Russian state today constitutes a threat to international security,” Kaminski said.
The move comes just days after the nearby Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia banned vehicles with Russian license plates from entering their territory — a joint move in line with a recent interpretation of the EU’s sanctions on Moscow.
Poland and the Baltic states are among the most vocal European critics of Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
Earlier on Tuesday, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy head of Russia’s Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, denounced the European Commission’s move as racist. He had suggested that Moscow could retaliate by suspending diplomatic ties with the EU and recalling its diplomats from Brussels.
Poland shares a land border with the Russian territory of Kaliningrad, which is an exclave, that is, a part separated from the Russian mainland. The Border Guard agency said the ban would be the same regardless of which border the vehicles sought to cross. In addition to Kaliningrad, Poland has Belarus and Ukraine on its eastern borders. It is otherwise bordered by EU and NATO allies Germany, Slovakia, Czechia and Lithuania, where there are no border checks.
• Poland Implements EU Ban on Russian-Registered Cars: Poland has begun enforcing a European Union (EU) ban on all passenger cars registered in Russia from entering the country as part of sanctions against Russia due to its war in Ukraine.
• EU-Wide Ban on Russian Vehicles: The ban applies to the entire European Union, prohibiting motor vehicles registered in the Russian Federation from entering the territory of the 27-member EU bloc.
