Poland lifts the veto on the transit of Ukrainian cereal and lowers the tension

Poland and Ukraine reached an agreement on Tuesday to resume the transit of Ukrainian cereal through Polish territory, which the Polish government had suspended on Saturday, alleging that the accumulation on its soil of grain from the neighboring country is causing local prices to fall and hurt their farmers.

The EU lifted tariffs on Kyiv last year to make it easier for Ukrainian grain to pass through Europe to other countries in Africa and the Middle East. But for logistical reasons, a lot of cereal is staying in Poland and affecting local producers, a situation that also occurs on a smaller scale in Hungary and Slovakia, countries that also announced a ban on Ukrainian cereal. Brussels had reacted warning that “unilateral actions” are unacceptable and a violation of community trade policy.

“We have managed to agree on mechanisms that will guarantee that not a single ton of wheat remains in Poland, that the goods only pass through Poland,” Agriculture Minister Robert Telus told a press conference in Warsaw, after two days of talks with ministers. Ukrainians who moved from Kyiv.

The deal is that the trucks will circulate monitored, with the cargo sealed. Telus explained that the SENT system will be used, based on GPS tracking used in Poland to track fuel transport. “First of all, there will be transport convoys circulating in Poland for some time, and furthermore, from July, the grain surplus of approximately 4 million tons will leave Poland to accommodate a new harvest,” the Polish minister said. , reports Efe from Warsaw. Traffic will resume at midnight this Thursday.

The agreement covers only the Ukrainian cereal. Polish Development Minister Waldemar Buda specified that the ban on importing certain Ukrainian food products into Poland continues.

The Polish regulation that came into force on Saturday and is valid until June 30 prohibits the entry of food such as fruits and vegetables, meat, dairy products, eggs, honey and alcohol of agricultural origin. It also prohibited cereal, a veto that has now been lifted.

The Ukrainian Minister of Economy and Trade, Yulia Svyrydenko, assured in Warsaw that Ukrainian exporters will respect the terms of the agreement signed with Poland. At the same time, he warned that the agreement for the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea – reached with Russia in July of last year through the mediation of the UN and Turkey – “is under threat of being stopped, and Russia has returned to block the inspection of ships”. Svyrydenko stressed that it is very important for Ukraine to tackle this danger of the country being blocked. “Together with our partners, we cannot give Russia the opportunity to take advantage of this situation,” the minister said.

The agreement on this maritime route – which has so far allowed Ukraine to export 27 million tons of grain from its ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhne – is due to be renewed on May 18, but Moscow has presented new demands, including that the Bank The Russian Federation of Agriculture is readmitted into the Swift payment system, restrictions on insurance and port access for Russian cargo ships are lifted, and the supply of agricultural machinery and spare parts to Russia is resumed, among other things.

The Polish minister Telus elaborated on explaining the reason for the decision last Saturday. “We were forced to close the border because the EU had its eyes closed on the large amounts of grain coming into Poland, but at the same time we have continued discussions with Ukraine on how to allow transit with the guarantee that the grain does not get lost. I would stay here”, said the minister at the press conference.

Poland is one of Ukraine’s strongest allies in the defensive war that this country has been waging against Russia for more than a year, and this conflict over grain has not changed its commitments to Kyiv in terms of military support and refugee reception. . But the government of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s ultra-conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party is facing elections this fall, and the rural vote is important to this party.