We are gradually eliminating emotions around the wheat issue, cooperation with neighbors must be constructive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.

In recordings made public later in the evening, Zelensky announced meetings with members of the government and the president’s office regarding grain exports. During the meeting, “next steps were coordinated and the results achieved were recorded,” he added.

First, Zelensky said, the European Commission supports a so-called roadmap for mutual monitoring of grain exports. Second, he continued, “we are gradually removing the emotion around this topic in many ways.”

Working with neighboring countries can and should be constructive, and Ukraine is doing everything to achieve this

– he says.

Third, I thank our partners for preventing us from breaking EU trade rules and the Association Agreement. We expect the same constructive cooperation as Bulgaria and Romania from our other neighboring countries

– said the head of the Ukrainian state.

In early May, the European Commission imposed a ban on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflowers from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. This happened as a result of agreements with these countries regarding Ukrainian agri-food products. Initially, these restrictions were in effect until June 5, then extended until mid-September. The embargo was lifted on September 15 by decision of the European Commission.

Polish Regulations

On September 16, the regulation on an indefinite ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products to Poland came into force. The governments of Hungary and Slovakia also decided to unilaterally extend import restrictions.

Following the Warsaw, Bratislava and Budapest decisions, Kiev filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO). Reuters reported days later that the Slovak and Ukrainian agriculture ministers agreed to create a licensing system for trade in grain products, allowing Bratislava to lift an embargo on Ukrainian grain imports, and authorities in Kiev agreed to suspend complaints to the World Trade Organization against Slovakia.

Poland believes Ukraine has not fulfilled the declarations made to the European Commission regarding grain exports. On September 15, Ukraine promised to introduce effective mechanisms to limit the entry of wheat and implement legal regulations to resolve the problem, but according to Poland, Ukraine has done neither.

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mly/PAP