In coming years, Ukraine and Poland could cooperate to offer the rest of Europe an alternative land-and-sea trade route to China that bypasses Russia and Belarus, rail officials and industry representatives said at a Ukrainian-Polish logistics forum on Jan 29.
The corridor would run from Poland through Ukraine to Odesa, then onward across the Black Sea and Caspian Sea toward Central Asia and China, leveraging existing broad-gauge rail infrastructure and maritime links, according to Valerii Tkachov, deputy director of the commercial department of Ukrzaliznytsia.
Speaking at an online discussion on Poland-Ukraine logistics and EU integration, Tkachov said a 1,520-millimeter-gauge rail line already extends several hundred kilometers into Poland, allowing cargo to move directly through Ukraine to Odesa and onward to Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. He said the route could compete with traditional Eurasian corridors that currently transit Russia or Belarus if geopolitical constraints persist.
Tkachov also pointed to fuel imports as an example of underused cross-border infrastructure that could be scaled quickly. Ukraine currently depends on imports for fuel following repeated attacks on domestic refining capacity, he said, adding that Poland is a key source and that broad-gauge infrastructure inside Poland could carry significantly higher volumes if commercial conditions allowed.
Risk of losing traffic to Hungary, Romania
Other speakers warned that Poland risks losing future transit flows if coordination and investment lag behind rival routes further south. Dariusz Kostrzebski, president of Polish rail media group KOW, said Romania, Hungary and Turkey are investing aggressively in rail links and terminals, raising the risk that Ukraine-related cargo shifts away from Poland over time.
“If we wait too long, these flows will go south,” he warned, arguing that infrastructure alone will not be enough to secure Poland’s role as a gateway without faster decision-making and closer bilateral coordination.
Border speed and predictability will be decisive, according to Serhiy Vovk of the Center for Transport Strategies, a Kyiv-based transport and logistics think tank that advises government agencies and private operators on infrastructure, regulation and transit flows.
Vovk said depoliticized transit rules, synchronized data systems and digitalized customs procedures are increasingly more important to shippers than headline capacity.
“If transit is predictable and fast, the route will win,” Vovk said, adding that delays and uncertainty at borders push cargo toward alternative corridors regardless of distance.
Contact Details:
Valerii Tkachov: LinkedIn here
Dariusz Kostrzebski: dariusz.kostrzebski@kurier-kolejowy.pl
Serhiy Vovk: LinkedIn here
Metadata
Event: New Routes of Europe: Poland and Ukraine Between Logistics and Politics
Date: 29 January 2026
Time: 12:00–13:30 (Kyiv time)
Format: Online webinar (Zoom)
Organizers: Institute for Economic Research and Political Consultations (IER), Warsaw Enterprise Institute
Focus: Poland–Ukraine–EU logistics corridors; rail, road and intermodal transport; border bottlenecks; regulatory alignment; EU integration
Speakers: Representatives from OSW, Ukrainian Railways, CLIP Group, PKP HS, Center for Transport Strategies, Transatlas, and Polish transport media and industry groups
Audience: Logistics operators, transport companies, policymakers and business representatives from Poland and Ukraine
