Kuleba on the ban on Ukrainian grain exports: “This step will contradict the principle of solidarity on which the EU is based”

The ban on the export of Ukrainian grain, which Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary want to impose, contradicts the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and contradicts the EU’s basic principle of solidarity.

This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, AFP reports.

“This rule (export ban – Ed.) will violate the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. But the most important thing is that this step will contradict the principle of solidarity on which the European Union is based,” he said.

Kuleba added that Kyiv is ready to work with the five EU members to solve the problem and urged them “not to make the issue of grain exports a hostage to their internal political processes.”

“If they behave like this, they will leave us no chance but to fiercely defend our rights and the rights of Ukrainian farmers,” Kuleba summarized.

In May, the European Union allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, while allowing the transit of such goods for export to other countries. The ban is set to expire on September 15.

Tags: Ukraine, EU, restrictions