Ukraine and the European Union are working together to resolve the issue of Poland lifting its ban on Ukrainian grain and food imports. At present there is no legal basis for such restrictions. All parties are interested in resolving this issue as soon as possible, as maintaining mutually beneficial cooperation is a priority.

This opinion was expressed by Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Trade Representative of Ukraine, during a live broadcast of the National Telethon on April 26.

“I hope that we will solve this problem in the next few days. We have already worked out this solution thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian side, the European Union, Brussels and an active dialogue with Poland and other countries talking about restrictions. All that remains is to finalise it so that it is acceptable to the Republic of Poland. It is not a question of additional concessions, but of clarifying the real situation on the Polish market, which is far from being as bad as it is being portrayed in the media,” said Deputy Minister Taras Kachka.

He added that Ukrainian agricultural products posed no problems for Polish policy. “Ukraine has the support of all other EU member states that free trade in agricultural products with Ukraine is what the whole of Europe needs, as it is a matter of food security. Especially as some regions of Europe are suffering from drought and need Ukrainian grain.

In addition, Taras Kachka noted that it was extremely important not only for the region but also for the world to maintain exports through Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea. The Government of Ukraine is working at all levels on the issue of exporting Ukrainian products by sea, if not through the grain corridor, then in another format.

The potential for grain exports from Ukraine before July 1 is around 10 million tonnes. At the same time, Ukraine expects the export potential from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024 to be more than 40 million tonnes of grain. Such a volume can only be transported efficiently by sea, the Deputy Minister stressed.