Grain from Ukraine is always transported to third countries through Poland – Duda

There are “a lot of emotions” and “unnecessary statements” against Poland on the part of the Ukrainian authorities and in the public sphere of Ukraine, particularly in the matter of exporting Ukrainian grain through the territory of Poland, which are perceived with regret. This was stated by Polish President Andrzej Duda in an interview with ZET radio on Thursday.

“There are a lot of manipulations in the export of Ukrainian grain. There are many statements that there is no transit through Poland, which is not true. Ukrainian grain is always being transported through Poland to third countries,” Duda emphasized.

Asked whether Duda was offended by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s remarks, the Polish leader noted that “there are also emotions on his part, there are many unnecessary statements that are perceived with regret.”

“However, from the point of view of Poland’s security, the most important thing is for Ukraine to survive, for it to protect itself from Russian aggression, for there to be an independent and sovereign Ukraine, which in this part of Europe separates us from imperial Russia,” the Polish leader emphasized.

According to him, Ukraine’s situation at the front “is very difficult”.

“Ukraine is defending itself very bravely, it is an unheard of heroism of the Ukrainian military, it is incredible in the context of Russia’s significant advantage,” Duda emphasized.

He drew attention to the fact that Russia’s losses in this war have already amounted to more than 300 thousand people.

“These are huge losses, but Russians do not respect human life. And this is a huge difficulty in the defense of Ukraine. Ukraine is always defending itself, but it is in an extremely difficult situation and needs international military assistance, which I keep calling for,” the President of Poland emphasized.

Duda assured that security is the most important issue for him. Therefore, he is doing everything possible to prevent the enemy from successfully attacking Poland.

“If Ukraine can defend itself, then we, who have strengthened ourselves militarily and will do so even more in the near future, will undoubtedly be able to defend ourselves militarily,” the Polish president stated.

As reported, in May 2023, the European Commission banned imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower from Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania at the insistence of these countries. On June 5, the ban was extended until September 15, 2023. Subsequently, the European Commission announced on September 15 that the EU would not extend the temporary restrictions on Ukrainian grain. After that, the previous government of Mateusz Morawiecki independently blocked imports of Ukrainian grain to the Polish market, and the ban is still in force. However, Ukrainian grain continues to transit through Poland to third countries.

At his final press conference on December 19, President Zelensky expressed hope that the new Polish government (Donald Tusk’s government – ed.) would “lift the entire blockade of the border, which is artificial.” He also noted that from April to September, Ukraine had a very difficult time with the issue of grain exports, which resulted in Ukraine losing hundreds of millions of dollars. Zelenskiy noted that political relations between the parties “began to be lost” when he asked for the opportunity to export grain, but Ukraine was “not given” what he called “a wrong step.”

Since November 6, Polish carriers and farmers have been blocking the four largest checkpoints on the Polish-Ukrainian border for truck traffic. Among their demands is the resumption of permits for Ukraine to transport goods to Poland and the EU, which was suspended by the European Commission after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This provision will be in effect until June 30, 2024.

Tags: Ukraine, export, grain, Poland, restrictions