Slovakia has joined the list of countries that have unilaterally halted grain imports from Ukraine to help protect their farmers, and Bulgaria is considering doing the same. Their decisions have been met with disapproval from European Union chiefs, with one Brussels official insisting they will have “to come up with some explanation.” It has also been suggested that the ban—while temporary—could be illegal.
Halts have not, however, been imposed lightly. Low global grain prices and demand, as well as logistical problems, mean much of the product is failing to be sold beyond these European countries, putting a strain on their farmers, such that protests were triggered in Poland earlier this month and the country’s agriculture minister resigned. His replacement, Robert Telus, said there has been much “fake news” about the bans, all of which “serve[s] Putin.” He added that Warsaw is in talks with Brussels and Kyiv to work towards a solution that will see “agricultural products … go deep into Europe and not stay in our country.”
U.S. News reported that these talks will resume today, on April 18th. Hungary’s agriculture minister said the ban would last until June 30th.
Although these nations—Poland in particular—are among those which have offered the most staunch support for Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion in February last year, the bans underscore the continued sway of domestic pressure during the conflict. The Guardian reports that farmer concerns “pose a pressing political problem, in particular for Poland’s governing nationalist Law and Justice party, which has otherwise been one of Ukraine’s most trenchant supporters since the war began but relies on support from rural voters and faces a tight election this year.”
On April 17th Bratislava barred all cereals, soybeans, sugar, fruit, vegetables, wine and honey. Commenting on the halts, Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky said:
The first step … should be the opening of transit, because it is quite important and it is the thing that should be done unconditionally and after that we will talk about other things.
This step has already been reached, with Poland having reached an agreement late on Tuesday on restarting the transit of Ukrainian grain through its territory. Mr. Telus highlighted that these transits would be both sealed and monitored.
Two diplomats told the Financial Times that EU countries, at a meeting later this week, are likely to prolong tariff-free access for Ukrainian food for another year, in spite of the bans. One said “there is a qualified majority of member states who want to extend.” Brussels is likely to see this as a win, having declared that “in such challenging times, it is crucial to coordinate and align all decisions within the EU.”
