Poland and Romania say they can\u2019t help transit agricultural exports following Zelensky\u2019s escalatory warfare against Russia<\/p>\n
Poland and Romania have refused to help Kiev move millions of tons of grain \u2013 which got stuck in Ukraine following Vladimir Zelensky\u2019s war on exports \u2013 into the EU, Politico reports, citing officials in Warsaw and Bucharest. Zelensky\u2019s 40-day campaign resulted in Russia implementing a de facto blockade of Ukraine\u2019s Black Sea ports, with the wider consequences of the strikes estimated at 1.5% of the country\u2019s collapsing GDP.
\nLast week, Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotsky appealed to the EU for a \u20ac1.1 billion ($1.23 billion) allocation to improve transit capacity, which would help free large quantities of grain \u2013 Ukraine\u2019s key source of income \u2013 trapped in the country.
\nThe request came after Zelensky\u2019s 40-day PR \u2018pressure campaign\u2019 on Russia, which involved long-range strikes on oil refineries and civilian infrastructure. The effort backfired, as Russia ramped up strikes on Ukraine\u2019s military-related logistics, including the key hub of Odessa, accounting for an overwhelming majority of Kiev\u2019s agricultural exports.<\/p>\n
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Speaking to Politico, Vysotsky described the situation as \u201cvery, very critical,\u201d after his ministry reported the export of 2.4 million tons of agricultural products in September, just 46% of what Kiev considers the required volume.
\nHe added that export restrictions leave Ukrainian farmers without cash needed to plant seeds now for next year\u2019s harvest. \u201cIf the situation stays like this till spring, it could mean the decrease of even 35-40% of the planted area,\u201d he warned.
\nLast month, Ukrainian officials estimated damage to infrastructure from Russian strikes at nearly $10 billion, with wider consequences amounting to around 1.5% of GDP.<\/p>\n
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While the EU as a whole is yet to give a definitive answer to the \u20ac1.1 billion request, Poland and Romania \u2013 which are crucial to facilitating Ukraine\u2019s exports \u2013 ruled out any significant assistance.
\nRomanian Agriculture Minister Barna Tanczos rejected the prospect of substantially expanding capacity, telling Politico that \u201cthe interest for our own farmers remains a priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ukrainian cargo and low Danube water levels are already straining Romanian ports, he said, adding: \u201cEverybody knows we cannot double the number of trains, we cannot double the roads, railways and port capacity. It is what it is.\u201d
\nThe Polish Infrastructure Ministry spokesperson said, as cited by Politico, that Poland \u201chas no plans to introduce any changes aimed at increasing the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products.\u201d
\nBefore the \u20ac1.1 billion plea, Ukraine requested \u20ac220 million from the EU in grants to support farmers affected by disrupted exports, but the bloc effectively turned it down, pointing instead to existing EU mechanisms.
\nAgricultural trade has long been a source of friction between Ukraine and its EU neighbors. After the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, Brussels suspended duties and quotas on Ukrainian exports, which triggered massive protests from European farmers over what they saw as unfair competition. As a result, the EU introduced an \u2018emergency brake\u2019 system in 2024, allowing tariff quotas to return for sensitive products if imports exceed set thresholds.
\nIn addition, many of Ukraine\u2019s neighbors, including Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, maintain significant restrictions on Ukrainian imports at the national level.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Poland and Romania say they can\u2019t help transit agricultural exports following Zelensky\u2019s escalatory warfare against Russia Poland and Romania have refused to help Kiev move millions of tons of grain…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t