Ukraine and the European Union are working together to resolve the issue of Poland lifting its ban on Ukrainian grain and food imports. There is no legal basis for such restrictions as of today. All parties are interested in resolving this issue as soon as possible, as maintaining mutually beneficial cooperation is a priority.

This opinion was expressed by Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine – Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka during a live broadcast of the National Telethon on 26 April.

“I hope that we will solve this problem in the coming days. We have already worked out this solution thanks to the efforts of the Ukrainian side, the European Union, Brussels and an active dialogue with Poland and other countries talking about restrictions. All that remains is to finalize it so that it is acceptable to the Republic of Poland. It is not about additional concessions but about clarifying the real situation on the Polish market, which is far from being as bad as it is being portrayed in the media,” said Deputy Minister Taras Kachka.

He added that Ukrainian agricultural products did not pose any problems for Polish policy. Ukraine has the support of all other EU member states that free trade in agricultural products with Ukraine is what the whole of Europe needs, as it is a matter of food security. In particular, given that some regions of Europe are suffering from drought and need Ukrainian grain.

In addition, Taras Kachka noted that it was extremely important not only for the region but also for the world to maintain exports through Ukrainian Black Sea ports. The Government of Ukraine is working at all levels on exporting Ukrainian products by sea, if not through the grain corridor, then in another format.

The potential for grain exports from Ukraine before 1 July is around 10 million tons. At the same time, Ukraine expects that the export potential from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 will be more than 40 million tons of grain. This volume can be transported efficiently only by sea, the Deputy Minister stressed.