Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko said on September 18 that Ukraine considers these sanctions a violation of the international obligations of European Union (EU) member states.
The Ukrainian government website quoted Ms Sviridenko as saying: “For us, it is extremely important to prove that individual EU member states cannot impose restrictions on the import of Ukrainian goods. That is why we have filed a complaint with the WTO ”
Ms Sviridenko said Ukraine hoped these countries would change their decisions and would not need to resolve the dispute in court. “We need to stand in solidarity with them (Poland, Slovakia and Hungary) and protect the interests of our farmers,” he stressed.
Sheet politico Earlier Ukrainian Trade Representative Taras Kacha was quoted in an interview as saying that Kiev plans to sue Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over the embargo on Ukrainian agricultural products. According to Mr. Taras Kakka, it is important to prove that the actions of these three countries are illegal and that is why Ukraine initiated legal procedures on September 19.
Ukraine’s trade representative also warned that Kiev could impose retaliatory measures on Poland if it did not drop additional measures.
Ukrainian grain is loaded onto a truck in Chernihiv in May 2022. Photo: Reuters
News agency pulp Mr Radosław Fogiel, head of the Polish parliament’s foreign affairs committee, was quoted as saying that Ukraine’s decision to sue “will have a bad effect in Poland” and that Ukraine should be aware of this.
Meanwhile, after a meeting in Brussels (Belgium) on September 18, Spain’s Agriculture Minister said that the majority of EU member states have agreed on the need to maintain EU solidarity on agricultural issues.
Sheet financial Times Germany reported that Poland, Hungary and Slovakia unilaterally restricted grain imports from Ukraine, accusing these countries of taking advantage of EU policies and putting their own interests above those of Ukraine.
German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir stressed that the split over Ukrainian grain posed the biggest challenge in decades to Brussels’ authority over EU trade.
The European Commissioner for the Environment, Mr Virginijus Sinkevičius, called on Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to repeal the sanctions which go against the bloc’s trade policy. He talks financial Times: “We must be united in our messages. These issues are about much more than just grain transportation.”
Trucks are jammed at the Rawa-Ruska checkpoint on the Ukraine-Poland border on April 17. Photo: Reuters
There has been a rift between Ukraine and some of its strongest allies in the European Union over a dispute over the country’s agricultural exports.
Sanctions imposed by the EU in May allowed Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to ban the sale of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds to these markets. However, these goods are still allowed to be taken for export to other places.
On 15 September, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary respectively announced a ban on grain imports into Ukraine, after the European Commission (EC) decided not to extend the above ban.
According to the news agency reutersData from the Ministry of Agriculture of Ukraine show that 1.4 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products were transported by train out of the total export volume of 4.5 million tons in the first three months of the 2023-2024 season.
Ukraine transports grain by train through border gates with Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. In addition, Ukraine also transported 1 million tons of oil and oilseeds by rail.
