Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday the possibility of extending restrictions on the export of Ukrainian grains to the European Union was “unacceptable”, as five neighboring states intend to protect their farmers.
“Any extension of restrictions is absolutely unacceptable and openly anti-European. Europe has the institutional capacity to act more rationally, instead of closing the border for this or that product,” Zelensky said during his daily appearance on social networks.
Zelensky expressed hope that “the European side will 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 declaration asking the European Commission to extend the embargo on Ukrainian grain imports on their territory 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 from Member States.
Faced with an 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 counter overflowing their elevators and falling local prices.