Tusk convinced Macron to change import conditions not in favor of Ukraine – Polish media

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has managed to win over French President Emmanuel Macron to Poland’s side, making it possible for the EU to reach a compromise on changes to the trade agreement with Ukraine that does not satisfy Kyiv.

The details of how this happened became known to the Polish radio station RMF FM from sources.

It is noted that on March 13, the plenary session of the European Parliament adopted an amendment by Polish MEP Andrzej Galicki, which referred to the unfavorable inclusion of the 2021 import threshold in the calculations, when the volume of Ukrainian agricultural goods was low.

Galicki’s amendment also included expanding the list of products to be subject to restrictions to include cereals and honey.

Subsequently, Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Sekerski convinced Prime Minister Donald Tusk that the prime minister could play a key role in Poland’s efforts to achieve greater restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural imports.

Tusk was allegedly skeptical at first, but after often heated talks between the prime minister and the minister, Tusk personally took up the cause.

According to the radio station’s sources in Brussels, the conversation between Tusk and French President Macron during the March 15 Weimar Triangle meeting was decisive.

“At the time, Macron knew little about the agreement with Ukraine and did not realize the importance of 2021 as a base year, which significantly reduces the level of Ukrainian imports,” said the source in Warsaw.

“However, he (Macron – Ed.) quickly realized that France could also gain something by supporting Poland in this game,” he added.

As a result of overnight talks on March 20, MEPs added new agricultural products to the list of Ukrainian goods subject to restrictions: oats, corn, cereals, and honey. However, they failed to include 2021 in the agreement and add wheat to the list.

It was the first time that Poland and France spoke jointly, which led to a lack of support for the compromise previously reached with the European Parliament.

On Friday, March 22, at the EU summit in Brussels, Macron and Tusk presented to EU leaders the need to change the agreement with Ukraine. Negotiations took place officially during the session, but also behind the scenes. Then President Zelenskyy addressed the EU leaders, suggesting that those who want to reduce agricultural imports from Ukraine are reducing Kyiv’s defense capabilities.

After the summit, on Friday, at a press conference, Macron spoke in great detail about the demands of Poland and France, i.e., 2021 and the inclusion of wheat on the list.

On Monday, March 25, the Belgian presidency tried to force through a preliminary agreement without additional provisions on 2021, and failed again. All of Ukraine’s neighboring countries supported Poland and France, joined by Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia.

Such a strong coalition forced the Belgians to be more flexible. As a result, they themselves presented a compromise proposal, which the EC called a possible final solution before the summit. It is about adding half of 2021 to the trade agreement with Ukraine, which still means a significant reduction in Ukrainian imports.

Tags: Ukraine, Poland, agricultural products, restrictions