Ukraine equates restrictions on its grain imports into the EU to Russian bombings

Ukraine has stepped up calls for European Union countries to lift partial restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports as Russia blockades the Black Sea and targets ports and other grain facilities.

On September 15, a temporary ban on the import of Ukrainian grain of wheat, corn, as well as rapeseed and sunflower seeds to five EU countries neighboring Ukraine: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria expires.

The ban was introduced in May at the request of the governments, which complained about the drop in prices due to the influx of Ukrainian grain and, as a result, losses for their farmers.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said in late August that the European Commission should heed calls from governments to extend the ban until the end of the year.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on September 6 that such restrictions would mean the closure of land routes for the export of Ukrainian grain, at a time “when our Ukrainian ports are burning almost every night after Russian strikes.”

He equated such restrictions on Ukraine, more than half of whose exports to the EU are agricultural products, to Russian bombings.

“I am directly addressing you now, friends, partners, colleagues… To you, Mr. President of Romania. To you, Mrs. Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria. To you, Mrs. President of Slovakia. To you, Mr. President of Poland. To you, Madam President of Hungary. To you, Mrs. President of Moldova. To everyone on whom the freedom of our agricultural exports depends in one way or another. Any restrictions against Ukrainian exports now are an escalation of the destruction caused by Russian terrorists. That’s right,” the Ukrainian leader said during a video call with the meeting of leaders of the countries participating in the Three Seas Initiative, which unites the states of Central and Eastern Europe.

Zelensky argued that it is not only about the principles of free trade and free competition, but also about the need for European solidarity in the face of the threat to the continent from Moscow’s bellicosity and aggressiveness.

Those who prove the need for restrictions on agricultural imports from Ukraine to the EU insist that they are dictated by an emergency situation in which Russia blocks the main export routes of Ukrainian grain – through the Black Sea to the markets of Asia and Africa.

In particular, politicians in Poland insist that they want to help the transit of Ukrainian exports to those countries that import grain, and call on the EU to, for example, subsidize to reduce transport costs.

But at the same time, Polish government officials, who are preparing for parliamentary elections on October 15, say that they are forced to protect the interests of their farmers, and therefore threaten that if the European Commission does not extend the temporary restrictions on Ukrainian grain, then Warsaw can resort to unilateral bans.

The Hungarian government follows a tough policy towards Kyiv, completely refusing military support to Ukraine and even demanding the lifting of European sanctions against Russia, although Budapest insists that it provides humanitarian aid to Ukrainians in wartime conditions.

Ukraine claims that restrictions on Ukrainian grain in the EU are dictated primarily by political considerations and that they contradict European principles and agreements between Brussels and Kyiv.

“Our grain becomes a good source of income for various European countries that process our agricultural products and earn from logistics. Farmers from different countries use Ukrainian fodder for the benefit of their farms. Companies from different countries make money from transit. And this is good for the entire European economy. But specifically for the Ukrainian segment of the European economy, it is not about making money, but about survival in the conditions of Russian terror,” Zelenskyi assured.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna, commenting on the situation with the grain to the Voice of America, said: “We do not accept any threats from certain countries to carry out unilateral measures. This is a violation of the requirements of the EU itself.”

“I can confirm that today no statistics confirm threats to the EU internal market. All five EU countries, through which the export of grain products was released, received significant financial support and a significant increase in the budget for the development of border and customs infrastructure. Today, it has been decided that the Romanian direction and the Danube corridor will be the main directions for freeing the transit of grain products. Accordingly, investments, funds and infrastructure development in this direction will be a priority in the coming years. So we see nothing but politics in any intention to extend the restrictions, and they should not be extended,” Olga Stefanishyna insists.

Ukraine is not a candidate for membership in the European Union, but before it can become a full member of the common European market, its trade with the EU is conditioned by the agreement on the free trade area and separate decisions of the European Commission, which announced the easing of conditions for Ukrainian imports for economic assistance to Ukrainians in the conditions of Russian aggression