Germany calls on the EU to strengthen alternative transportation routes for Ukrainian grain exports

After Russia’s unilateral withdrawal from the grain deal, German Agriculture Minister Jem Ozdemir called on the European Union to strengthen alternative export routes outside the Black Sea.

He said this in a joint morning news program of ARD and ZDF TV channels before a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in Brussels, Tagesschau reports.

The European Union should “strengthen alternative export routes outside the Black Sea,” Ozdemir said.

He said that it is necessary to clearly define “which alternative route is the best” and that it is “unacceptable” for neighboring countries to close their borders with Ukraine.

The concern of Eastern European countries that their farmers may be threatened by Ukrainian imports is a problem that can be solved, the minister said.

According to him, Ukrainian products need to be transported to European ports – “and then sent from there to the global South.”

“Many countries depend on grain from Ukraine. That is why we must do everything possible to restore the grain deal. At the same time, we have to help Ukraine move grain out of the country so that it gets to where it is urgently needed,” Ozdemir said.

Tags: Ukraine, export, grain, EU, Germany