Ukraine’s European neighbors are set to extend a ban on importing the country’s grain until mid-September, a move that risks fueling tensions between Kyiv and its allies.
In late April, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria agreed to replace unilateral import bans on crop shipments from Ukraine with European Union restrictions. Transit shipments to other member states are exempted. Those eastern European nations said flows from Ukraine threatened local farmers after prices slumped.
That EU agreement was set to end on Monday, but Poland’s agriculture ministry said on Twitter that it has received a draft proposal that extends the import ban until Sept. 15. An EU spokesperson said a decision had not yet been made.
Grain shipments from Ukraine, a key global supplier, have been disrupted by Russia’s invasion. Kyiv on Friday called on the EU to end the ban on its crop exports, saying they were helping the Kremlin to intensify pressure on the country’s economy.
Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi said he would comment only after the official release of the European Commission’s decision on the import ban.
When the invasion initially blocked the nation’s Black Sea ports, Ukrainian farmers started sending more cargoes by rail, truck and river through its EU neighbors. While a deal — brokered by the United Nations and Turkey — has established a safe maritime corridor for Ukraine crop exports, shipments have frequently been disrupted.
Read More: Ukraine Urges EU to Stop Ban on Crop Exports to Neighbors
--With assistance from Volodymyr Verbyany.
(Updates with chart, context in fourth paragraph)
Author: Maciej Martewicz and Áine Quinn
