Four EU countries ban the import of food products from Ukraine

2023-04-22 08:49:44, Kosova & Bota CNA

Four member states of the European Union have stopped the import of food products from Ukraine with the aim of protecting their markets. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria say that the influx of Ukrainian imports has hurt their farmers, who cannot compete with the low prices offered by this country (Ukraine). The Polish government approved $2.4 billion in aid for its agricultural sector, while criticizing the European Commission on Friday for not doing enough to help solve the problem.

" What the EU is offering, and belatedly, is very little, it is only a drop in the ocean of needs ," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at a press conference.

The European Commission has offered $110 million in aid to Central European farmers, in addition to a previous aid package of $61.5 million. The EC also says it will take emergency preventive measures for other products, such as wheat, corn and sunflower seeds, but Central European states want this list expanded to include honey and some types of meat.

Ukraine's economy is highly dependent on agriculture, and the decision to ban it from European countries would bring a significant blow to this country, reported the agency 'Bloomberg', citing the organization 'UkrAgroConsult'.

For now, Romania has decided not to ban Ukrainian products, allowing their transit through its port of Constanta on the Black Sea.

Several Central European countries became gateways for a surplus of food products from Ukraine, following a Russian blockade of Black Sea ports. The Black Sea Initiative brokered by the United Nations and Turkey has enabled the safe passage of grain shipments through this corridor, but Russia is threatening not to renew it after the agreement expires on May 18.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that renewing the agreement was contingent on the West lifting restrictions affecting Russian agricultural exports. The Kremlin said on Friday it was monitoring reports of a possible ban on Russian exports and that new Western sanctions would hurt the global economy.

" We know that the US and the EU are actively considering new sanctions ," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. " We believe that the current sanctions against the Russian Federation and the additional new steps that the US and the EU are considering taking will certainly hit the global economy as well ."

Meanwhile, fighting in Bakhmut has flared up and Kiev said on Friday that while Russian forces had made some advances in the eastern city, the situation remained under control. " The situation is tense, but under control ", wrote the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar, in the messaging application "Telegram".

Ms Malyar made the comments after the Russian Defense Ministry announced at a press conference on Friday that its troops were fighting in the western part of Bakhmut, the only part of the Ukrainian city still under the control of Kiev forces./ VOA