Poland and other European Union countries bordering Ukraine have recently imposed temporary bans on Ukrainian grain exports. As soon as the Polish ban was announced, Ukrainian sunflower oil manufacturers stopped buying seeds.
Many believe they see Moscow's hand behind the crisis with neighboring countries that have so far strongly supported Kiev in the face of the Russian invasion. If the restrictions continue, many Ukrainian farmers, especially in the east, "will simply go bankrupt," says Igor Novytsky, deputy director of an agricultural company.