Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu announced at the end of a meeting that took place on Friday in Galata and was attended by officials from Romania, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, as well as the United States and the European Commission, that following the measures discussed and which will be adopted in the next period, the amount of grain from Ukraine transiting through Romania will increase from more than 2 million tons per month, as now, to four million tons. In this context, he noted that it is necessary to optimize the Sulinsky canal, which is the only waterway for transporting grain from Ukraine. Discussions in Galatsia took place in the context of intensifying Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports.

“We continue to support strategic efforts to counter Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. During this meeting, the support provided by Romania to Ukraine during this period was evaluated. The Romanian authorities, especially the ministry headed by it, took a number of measures during this period, which contributed to the export of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain from the beginning of the war until now. (…) We agreed that Ukrainian grain exports should be accelerated in the context of the attacks on Ukrainian ports in recent weeks,” Sorin told Grindyan on Friday afternoon at the end of a meeting held in Galata.

He noted that during the discussions, the importance of transport routes – land, rail and sea – was emphasized to maintain a continuous flow.

“I reiterated that from the point of view of transport on the Danube, the Sulin Canal is the only viable waterway for these transports, and therefore it is important to constantly optimize the capacity of this route. In conclusion, from our point of view, it was an extremely good meeting, which will lead us, through the measures we will take, to increase the transit capacity of grain coming from Ukraine through Romania, so that from more than 2 million tons, as much as we have now every month to reach the goal we have set for ourselves in the next period, which is almost four million tons,” Grindianu added.

For his part, State Secretary at the Ministry of Transport Bohdan Mindrescu showed in a post on Facebook that during the meeting, the support that Romania provided and is providing to facilitate the export of grain from Ukraine was unanimously appreciated.

“We agreed that the acceleration of grain exports from Ukraine is necessary in the context of Russia continuing to attack port infrastructure targets in the Danube region. A number of measures were taken to facilitate transshipment and cross-border transit, as well as the procurement of pilots – based on the US commitment to provide financial assistance to both Romania and Ukraine. Other measures, such as the expansion of alternative export routes, modernization of Ukrainian checkpoints, modernization of critical infrastructure for rail and road transport, and support for the development of private sector export opportunities along the Danube, will also receive support. from the USA. I noted that Romania will continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to counter Russian aggression, the participants of the meeting in Galata agreed that Russia should immediately stop attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure and rejoin the Black Sea Grain Export Initiative,” Mindrescu said.

According to him, he and Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Sorin Grindeanu, US State Department Sanctions Coordinator Jim O’Brien, US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, US Ambassador to Romania took part in the discussions. , Katlin Kavalets, representative of the European Commission Magda Kopchynska, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov and Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry of the Republic of Moldova Volodymyr Bolea.

“Since withdrawing from the agreement, the Russians have destroyed more than 200,000 tons of Ukrainian grain, food for a million people,” says the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine

“Since Russia’s withdrawal from the grain agreement on July 17, Russian troops have destroyed more than 200,000 tons of Ukrainian grain, 200,000 tons – the World Food Program estimates. This means providing food for at least one million people,” said the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov, who was present at the meeting in Galaka.

According to the Ukrainian official, it is impossible to “replace Ukrainian grain” on the world market. The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that since Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement on the transit of Ukrainian grain, the price of grain worldwide “immediately” increased by more than 8 percent.

“We must, of course, stop using hunger as a weapon and Russia’s attack on the global food system. I thank our European partners for the solidarity programs that allowed us to export about 32 million tons of agricultural products last year,” added the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, expressing hope that the export of agricultural products will continue.

He indicated that Ukraine is interested in the possibility of organizing additional spaces in the area of ​​the port of Konstanz and the Sulin Canal for the transit of Ukrainian vessels transporting agricultural products, saying that Ukraine is open to “any options” for reaching such agreements, which would be on benefit of both parties.

“Ukraine especially appreciates Romania’s efforts to improve and increase the efficiency of the Sulin Canal and increase its throughput. I can already see the first results, I can only thank my Romanian colleagues for what they did,” Oleksandr Kubrakov added.