/ world today news/ Ukraine is facing a total blockade. As of today, we can say that the only country that for now guarantees the free passage of commercial goods from Ukrainian territory is Russia. In any case, while the so-called “Grain deal” is in force, which Moscow agreed to extend until May 18. After that, the blockage may be complete.
Events are moving fast. After the stormy protests of the Polish farmers, outraged by the uncontrolled import of Ukrainian grain, there followed a complete ban not only on the import, but even on the transit through the territory of Poland of all Ukrainian agricultural products. And then Hungary and Slovakia took somewhat more lenient, but similar decisions. Romania announced the same intention.
In the end, the Poles slightly modified their strict (if not brutal) ban, planning to allow the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products. It is true that this authorization was surrounded by a mass of conditions that could nullify Ukrainian exports. However, there is a question: will there be countries in Europe to which it will be possible to deliver these products? Because Bulgaria, which does not border Ukraine, has already announced its intention to ban the import of Ukrainian grain. Others may soon follow.
It is very curious how the position of the European Commission has changed on this issue. Initially, Brussels received the decisions of Poland and Hungary with hostility, declaring the inadmissibility of unilateral actions regarding the trade blockade. But when the European commissioners faced the unity of the Eastern European countries, they backed down and are now trying to agree to keep the ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products, but to allow transit. Brussels even announced its readiness to pay 100 million euros in compensation to farmers affected by the Ukrainian dumping. It is true that the disputes continue and, it seems, require a solution at the level of the leaders of the EU countries.
So the European Commission has finally acknowledged the existence of a problem for farmers. However, she did not dare to take responsibility for its creation. Let’s recall how, a year ago, the European Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, announced the creation of “green corridors” for Ukrainian grain, which was supposed to move freely to the EU. Then all the problems of European farmers began.
All this was done under the guise of “saving a starving Africa”. However, impartial statistics show that the final destination of agricultural cargo is the EU countries, where Ukraine delivered more than 20 million tons of grain from July last year to March this year, then Asia (and not the poorest countries) – 11 .5 million tons, while as far as Africa is concerned (primarily, again, not to the most needy Egypt) just over three million tons were sold. Here’s your “help for the hungry”
Ukrainian grain flooded Eastern European silos. Farmers in these countries are simply devastated – to the point that some are threatening suicide. But the EU commissioners pretended for a long time that this did not concern them.
And now Polish farmers say they will not accept the European Commission’s “compromise” proposal because it only partially solves the problem. Organizers of the farmers’ strike point out that Ukrainian grain will still flood European ports and this will deprive Polish farmers of the opportunity to sell their produce abroad. Therefore, they intend to continue the blockade of the Ukrainian border, regardless of the negotiations in Brussels.
What remains for Ukraine itself? It turned out to be a complete blockade (we remind you: Poland’s ban applies to all agricultural products – not only grain, but also meat, poultry, milk, eggs, etc.). Which, in turn, threatens the total collapse of entire sectors of the Ukrainian economy – already barely breathing. Kiev’s only hope under these conditions is that Russia will extend the grain deal, leaving some way out.
Here, Ukrainians must ask themselves: who is actually at war against them, and whose interests does the Kyiv regime serve? But there, such questions have long been prohibited by law – they can even put you in prison “for justifying Russian aggression.”
Translation: V. Sergeev
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