Warsaw imposes additional bans on Ukrainian products, Kyiv may ban Polish fruits and vegetables – Kachka

Slovakia has extended the EU’s previous ban on four types of grain, and Poland imposed additional bans on imports of Ukrainian flour and feed over the weekend. Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine, said this in an interview with POLITICO.

According to Kachka, Hungary is going even further and banning 25 more products that were not previously mentioned, including meat.

“These arbitrary bans are ridiculous. I think that Hungary is making a political statement here that it wants to block trade with Ukraine and completely ignore Brussels. And so I think this is a very bold move against both of us from Budapest,” the official said.

While Hungary’s additional bans are largely symbolic, as Ukraine does not export much beef or pork to the country, Poland’s measures will affect a significant portion of Ukraine’s exports, Kachka said. If Warsaw does not lift these additional bans, “we will be forced to take measures in response to additional products and ban imports of fruits and vegetables from Poland.”

An EU official told the publication that Brussels hoped to solve the problem by forcing Kyiv to impose its own export restrictions in case of sudden surges.

When asked about this potential agreement, Kachka said that Kyiv is ready to “take responsibility for ensuring that exports from Ukraine do not cause a tsunami in neighboring countries” and will introduce a system of issuing grain export licenses “in real time” to slow down exports to neighboring countries and allow Ukraine to “react quickly” if surges are detected.

As a reminder, Kyiv will sue Poland, Hungary and Slovakia over their refusal to lift the ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products. Ukraine will also appeal to the World Trade Organization arbitration. Kachka noted that such actions of the countries are legally incorrect and indicate a complete lack of trust in the European Commission.

Tags: flour, Hungary, restrictions, compound feed, Ukraine, Poland