Ukraine threatens to sue Poland and the EU over grain. The government responds. “We will not succumb”

– With full respect and gratitude to Poland, should any bans be introduced [po 15 wrze¶nia – przyp. red.], Ukraine will file a lawsuit against Poland and the World Trade Organization – announced the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Economy Taras Kachka in an interview with . According to Kiev, the introduced restrictions violate the EU-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement of 2014.

Ukraine is threatening, it’s about a grain embargo. The Polish government responds

However, the Polish government emphasizes that it will not change its opinion on this issue. – We will not succumb to Ukraine’s pressure. We understand that a country at war also uses very hard means of pressure in the sphere of diplomacy, but we are immune to it, because we are determined to defend the interests of Polish citizens in various areas, including, for example, agriculture – said the Minister of European Affairs Szymon Szynkowski a.k.a. Sęk in conversation with .

As Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said on Wednesday, the EU ban should be extended until the end of the year. – The ban allowed Ukraine to regain the market. This ban put order in trade, there were no imports, but transit improved. It passed and Ukraine exported more than when there was no import ban. If Ukraine opposes it, it is making a political and economic mistake, he said.

Janusz Wojciechowski pointed to data showing that from May to July 2022, when there was no ban, Ukrainian exports to the European Union amounted to 7.3 million tons. However, after the introduction of restrictions, from May to July 2023, Ukraine exported 9.6 million tonnes through the EU solidarity corridors.

Embargo on grain from Ukraine. The European Commission is working on a solution

The EU ban on imports of agricultural products from the EU frontier countries is in force until September 15. Poland is demanding an extension of the embargo until the end of the year and has gained the support of four frontline countries neighboring Ukraine: Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is currently working on a proposal submitted by the Polish Commissioner regarding EU subsidies for Ukraine. Thanks to them, Kiev would finance the additional costs of transporting grain to designated EU ports after blocking the Black Sea ports. According to Janusz Wojciechowski, these sums of money would not be large, as for the EU, because 300 million euros would be needed to export 10 million tons of grain. But those subsidies come in the package, along with the extension of the EU ban to five countries.