Stefanishyna calls on partners to work together on unhindered exports to EU

“Black Sea is blocked for Ukrainian export. Ukraine and the world are once again on the brink of a global food crisis. And Polish officials say that EU’s borders will also be closed to Ukrainian grain. Democracy it’s when the Government acts as an executive branch, not as a campaign headquarter,” Stefanishyna posted on Twitter.

Stefanishyna urged partners to work together to ensure world food security and Ukraine’s economic survival which means unhindered Ukrainian exports to the EU.

Moreover, the Deputy PM insists on a compensation mechanism for Ukrainian farmers who continue to work in the fields despite the risk to their lives.

As reported, Prime Minister of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki said the day before that if the European Commission refused to extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine to the five EU countries after September 15, Poland would unilaterally close the border.

Since the beginning of Russian aggression, more than 35 million tonnes of grain and food exports have been delivered from Ukraine through the Solidarity Lanes.

In May 2023, the European Commission banned the import of wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seed from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania at the insistence of these countries. On June 5, the ban was extended until September 15, 2023.

On July 19, the ministers of agriculture of the mentioned five EU countries adopted a joint statement demanding the extension of the European Commission's decision on the introduction of protective measures against the import of Ukrainian food to the mentioned countries until the end of the year.

First Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko emphasized that if the European Commission continued the ban on the Ukrainian grain imports after September 15, Ukraine would be forced to consider mirror measures.