"This is the European problem and it should be resolved by the European Commission. It is not only our problem. Our problem is that we have the border of the European Union, we are the first country, and the union starts on us. That is why these protests are taking place in our country," Duda said in a televised appearance on Polish broadcaster Polsat.
Duda recalled that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to visit Poland and Ukraine on Friday.
"And the talks should be at this level. Because it is hard to have any negotiations at the border, and besides, what should be discussed there? For the farmers to stop protesting? In my opinion, the farmers are right ... It is a question of to be or not to be for our farmers. And not only for our farmers. We are the first country on the Ukraine side, but other EU countries are behind us. If food or agricultural goods flow uncontrollably from Ukraine, it is obvious that everyone will suffer from it," the Polish president added.
Duda also said he discussed the closure of the border with Ukraine for agricultural goods "while ensuring military and humanitarian supply capabilities for Ukraine" with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The Polish president added that Poland remains the main corridor for the delivery of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. He also said a conference on aid to Ukraine will be held in Paris on Monday, adding that French President Emmanuel Macron invited a number of European leaders to participate.
Tusk said on Thursday that Polish-Ukrainian intergovernmental negotiations on the situation on the border of the two countries will be held in Warsaw on February 28.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Tusk to come to the Ukrainian-Polish border by February 24 to resolve the situation with the transport blockade, declaring his readiness to arrive there together with the Ukrainian cabinet of ministers.
Polish-Ukrainian relations deteriorated significantly last year due to the influx of Ukrainian grain into the EU. Poland, along with Slovakia and Hungary, unilaterally extended a ban on duty-free Ukrainian grain imports after EU-imposed curbs lapsed on September 15, 2023. In response, Ukraine filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization. The three EU countries promised to boycott meetings of the coordination platform on Ukrainian grain.