The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, considered on Monday “unacceptable” the possibility of an extension of the restrictions on the export of Ukrainian cereals in the European Union, since five neighboring states intend to protect their farmers.
“Any extension of the restrictions is absolutely unacceptable and frankly anti-European. Europe has the institutional capacity to act in a more rational way instead of closing the border to a certain merchandise”, said Zelensky, during his daily intervention broadcast on social networks.
Zelensky said he expected “the European side to fulfill its obligations” when the existing restrictions expire on September 15.
Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania announced on Wednesday that they had signed a joint statement, calling on the European Commission to extend the embargo on Ukrainian grain imports into their territories until the end of the year.
In June, the Commission announced that these restrictions could be extended until September 15, despite opposition from kyiv and resistance among member states.
Faced with the influx of Ukrainian agricultural products, following the lifting of the embargo by the European Union in May 2022, these neighboring states of Ukraine unilaterally banned imports in mid-April to counteract the saturation of their silos and the fall in local prices.
Source: TSF
