EU commissioner: the EU is ready to transport almost the entire volume of Ukraine’s grain exports

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The EU commissioner reminded: the solidarity corridors mean rail and road transport links through the EU member states bordering Ukraine. This is not the first time that Russia uses the food supply as a weapon, the situation is similar to what was experienced at the beginning of the war, he stated. “We are ready to export almost all Ukrainian products. This primarily means transporting approximately four million tons of oilseeds and cereals per month,” he said. Wojciechowski said that since November, the EU has transported 60 percent of Ukraine’s exports through land solidarity corridors and 40 percent through the Black Sea, when the UN-backed grain agreement was still in effect. The fact that Russia withdrew from the agreement is expected to have particularly serious consequences for African countries, he warned.

You need a joint plan

The EU commissioner added that the EU is examining initiatives by several member states to develop a joint plan to cover the additional costs of transport for the export of agricultural products from Ukraine. However, there is no estimate for the cost of financing the transport yet, noted Wojciechowski. After the start of the war in Ukraine last February, the European Union and the EU member states neighboring Ukraine created the solidarity corridors for Ukraine’s agricultural exports, as well as the export and import of other goods. At Tuesday’s meeting of the agriculture ministers of the member states, Hungary together with the frontline countries requested the extension of the Ukrainian grain import ban until the end of the year. In their opinion, the EU should provide financial support that takes into account the transport distance, so that it is worthwhile to transport Ukrainian grain to European ports by land, and that Ukrainian products really reach third countries in need.

MTI