Ukraine said it was ready to appeal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to demand compensation from Poland, which provides military and humanitarian aid. Kiev is angry as Warsaw announced on Tuesday that it would unilaterally extend the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain after September 15, the date set by Brussels.
"Regardless of the Commission's subsequent decision, we will not open the border to Ukrainian grain after this date," a government statement said. "However, if Brussels does not maintain the embargo, we will implement these solutions ourselves. This is a fundamental issue for us. The interests of the Polish campaign are the most important for us," he continued.
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Accusing Warsaw, a close ally of Kiev, of "political populism before (the) parliamentary elections" scheduled for Poland in mid-October, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal indicated on X (ex-Twitter) that "Ukraine will be forced to turn to WTO arbitration to obtain compensation for violation of GATT standards".
'No intention to harm Polish farmers'
"Despite the war and the Russian blockade of our ports, Ukraine is fulfilling its obligations under the Association Agreement with the EU and WTO law. We have no intention of harming Polish farmers. We greatly appreciate the support of the Polish people and Polish families!" said the head of the Ukrainian government.
The conflict in Ukraine and the problems related to Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea, while agreements with Russia are obsolete, have made the EU a major transit route and export destination for Ukrainian grain. In April, the EU allowed five member states, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, to ban the marketing of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower on their territory, provided they did not prevent transit to other countries.
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This was to protect their farmers, who attributed falling prices on their local markets to these imports. All five states have called for the bans, which expire Friday, to be extended.
Kaczynski: "We must not forget our fellow citizens"
The issue is particularly sensitive in Poland, where elections will be held next month. The current right-wing populist Law and Justice party government enjoys strong support in agricultural regions.
"I want to assure all farmers, the entire Polish countryside, that we will undoubtedly defend the interests of Polish farmers," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said at the cabinet meeting.
Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said Poland wants to help Ukraine "but at the same time we must not forget our citizens."