The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, sent to the European Union on Monday that he does not agree in any way with the expansion of restrictions on the export of grain from his country to EU countries neighboring Ukraine, Reuters and Agerpres news agencies reported..

“Our position is clear: blocking the removal of land after September 15, when the relevant restrictions expire, is unacceptable in any form,” Zelensky said on Twitter.

“We believe in the agreements with the European Commission, but we are ready for any scenario,” added the Ukrainian president, also noting that Ukraine is in contact with all parties to find a solution that will satisfy everyone.

His reaction came after the agriculture ministers of Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia asked the European Commission last week to extend import restrictions on four Ukrainian agricultural products until at least the end of this year, to be added to a wider list of goods originating from Ukraine.

To help Ukraine after Russia’s war against the country last February, the EU suspended tariffs and other trade protection measures on Ukrainian imports, including grain and other food products.

During this time, large volumes of Ukrainian grain, which should have passed through the countries of Eastern Europe only in transit through the “corridors of solidarity” (created to help Ukraine export grain after it could no longer use its Black Sea ports), remained in these countries, where they were sold below the prices that local producers could offer, and also because Ukrainian grain was not imposed by Brussels on compliance with European quality standards.

All this deformed the markets of Eastern European countries and caused losses to the farmers of these countries, which were only partially compensated by compensations approved by the European Commission.

After Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria temporarily banned the import of some Ukrainian agricultural products, especially cereals, in late April the European Commission reached an agreement with these four countries, as well as Romania, to guarantee the transit of Ukrainian cereals in exchange for “exceptional safeguard measures” applied to four Ukrainian agricultural products, namely wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, the agreement expires on September 15.

The Polish government has announced that it will continue these restrictions anyway, even if the European Commission decides otherwise.

• Read also: Ukraine condemns the “unfriendly and populist” gesture of Poland, one of its closest allies

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