Zelenskyy wants decisions on trade with Ukraine not to be made without consulting Ukraine

UkrAgroConsult

Ukraine’s neighboring countries and the European Union should refrain from making any decisions on trade with Ukraine without appropriate consultations. This was stated by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

“We discussed (with the President of the European Commission – ed.) the situation regarding the export of our agricultural products. We have a common agreement on our Ukrainian contribution to global food security… Unfortunately, we have faced problems in what should have been a strong manifestation of solidarity… The brutal protectionist measures (on trade – ed.) of our neighbors during the war cannot but disappoint,” Zelenskyy said.

According to him, restrictions on Ukrainian exports are currently unacceptable, as they strengthen the aggressor’s capabilities. Therefore, the President proposed to establish an advisory group with neighboring countries and the EU to monitor problematic issues in the field of trade.

“We propose to establish an advisory group to monitor the relevant issues and refrain from any decisions on trade without consulting Ukraine,” he said.

Zelenskyy also noted that he expects strong decisions from the European Union and the early lifting of all trade restrictions.

In turn, the head of the European Commission confirmed the prospect of creating an advisory group on the export of products from Ukraine, in particular, Ukrainian grain.

“The grain issue is a complicated situation. And we need to look for ways to solve it. The priority now is to ensure that grain transit goes smoothly at the lowest possible price from Ukraine to the EU. And this requires close cooperation of all stakeholders, so we will create a joint coordination platform to ensure that our solidarity elements are fully operational,” von der Leyen said.

As a reminder, several EU countries initially decided to suspend imports of certain Ukrainian food products on their own. This happened after farmers in a number of EU countries protested against duty-free imports of Ukrainian grain, which led to a decrease in their income.

Later, imports of a number of goods to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia were banned at the European Commission level. The restrictions included wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds of Ukrainian origin. Food transit through these countries remained unaffected.

Moldova also wants to restrict imports of grains and oilseeds from Ukraine.

Tags: Ukraine, EU, restrictions