Zelensky says EU keeping curbs on Ukraine grain 'unacceptable'
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Zelensky says Kiev is "ready for any scenario" in case Europe did not lift restrictions on Ukraine's grain land exports to EU bordering countries.
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Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky gestures as he attends a press conference with Austria's Chancellor in Kiev, on April 9, 2022 (AFP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described on Monday any measure by the European Union to extend the restrictions of his country's grain into the bloc as "unacceptable".
In a Twitter post, Zelensky said while Ukraine is carrying discussion on the matter with the EU, Kiev remains prepared for "any scenario".
"Our position is clear: blocking exports by land after September 15, when the relevant restrictions expire, is unacceptable in any form," he tweeted after a meeting with the European Commission regarding Ukraine's agriproducts.
"We are in touch with all stakeholders to find a solution that suits everyone."
Read more: The European Union not prepared to let Ukraine in
A meeting on the export of our agricultural products. We believe in the agreement with the European Commission, but we are preparing for any scenario.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 24, 2023
Our position is clear: blocking exports by land after September 15, when the relevant restrictions expire, is unacceptable in… pic.twitter.com/mBtLmYADyC
The Ukrainian leader said he hoped the EU "will fulfill its obligations" with regard to ending current border restrictions on Ukrainian grain land exports, which are set to expire on September 15.
Ukraine was compelled to export more of its commodities by land through EU countries as a result of the war with Russia.
The EU waived import charges on Ukrainian agricultural products in May 2022. However, a wave of Ukrainian grain imports into eastern European nations pushed up prices and raised concerns about market saturation, prompting Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia to prohibit them unilaterally in April.
A number of European countries have been urging the EU to extend the ban on Ukrainian grain until the end of the year, complaining that their local businesses and producers are suffering from unfair competition.
Poland has threatened to unilaterally ban grain imports from Ukraine if the European Commission does not prolong the ban.
"Either the European Commission agrees to develop a general regulation that will extend this ban, or we will do it ourselves. We will be firm, we will be decisive and we will definitely defend a Polish farmer," said the Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki last Wednesday.
The five countries bordering Ukraine had been in talks regarding the expiry of an EU ban on Ukrainian grain in "frontline countries".
Some countries, including Poland, had imposed restrictions on their neighbor's grain on their soil following protests by local farmers that complained of the depression of local prices as a result of Ukrainian agriproduct flooding their markets.
Baltic ports for grain exports?
With no clear signs of reviving the grain deal, Lithuania suggested on Monday that the European Union uses Baltic ports to export grain from Ukraine.
At the start of the war in Ukraine, in February 2022, Kiev's Black Sea ports got blocked by warships. But a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 -- and signed by Kiev and Moscow -- has allowed for the safe passage of exports of critical grain supplies.
However, Russia announced last week terminating the deal, citing the West's unwillingness to fulfill their commitments under the agreement, including re-integrating the Russian Agricultural Bank into SWIFT and allowing exports of Russian agriproducts, which are currently blocked due to sanctions.
Three Lithuanian ministers told EU commissioners in a letter obtained by AFP that Baltic ports could "serve as a reliable alternative for transiting Ukrainian products, including cereals."
According to the ministers, the Baltic ports could export a capacity of 25 million tonnes of grain annually.
