Two neighboring countries have imposed bans on grain imports from Ukraine. On Saturday, the import of Ukrainian grain was banned in Poland until June 30 and the regulation was published in the Official Gazette on the same day. On the same day, Hungary imposed an import ban, also until 30 June. Slovakia also banned the processing and sale of grain from Ukraine last week. In it, a pesticide that is not approved in the EU was found to be harmful to health, it said.
Gerhard Gnauck
Political correspondent for Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, based in Warsaw.
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Stephan Löwenstein
Political correspondent based in Vienna.
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"Times are difficult. Now we have to correct mistakes, and we are determined to do so," said the head of Poland's ruling PiS party, Jaroslaw Kaczyński, at a conference of the party on agricultural issues on Saturday. PiS has traditionally been popular among rural populations, but has faced swelling protests there since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine.
"Representing the interests of farmers"
Due to the months-long blockade of the export route across the Black Sea by Russia, grain came duty-free on the world market, especially through Poland, in order to support Ukraine, whose economic output has shrunk by a third in the war. Allegedly, around three million tons of grain remained in Poland, some of them illegally, filling the silos and pushing prices down. The problems could put PiS in jeopardy in the parliamentary elections in the autumn. The import ban affects, among other things, cereals, sugar, seeds, fruits and vegetables, meat, milk and dairy products, eggs and live livestock. The price of grain is also to be artificially supported. However, Poland remains a "friend of Ukraine," Kaczyński assured, and is in talks with Kiev.
The Warsaw approach quickly set a precedent. "The government has an obligation to represent the interests of Hungarian farmers," Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy said at the weekend. Therefore, "in the absence of substantial EU measures", it will follow Poland's example. The Ministry of Agriculture in Budapest pointed out that Ukraine is working with production methods that are no longer permitted in the EU and entail extremely low costs. This makes it impossible for Hungarian and Central European farmers to sell their products cost-effectively. According to Nagy, "meaningful and lasting EU measures" could now be taken. For example, the complete exemption from customs duties for Ukrainian goods must be reconsidered.
For Hungary, this is the first time since the beginning of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine that it has acted in unison with Poland on an important issue. In this respect, the import ban has a significance beyond agriculture. While Warsaw is constantly pushing for greater support for Ukraine by military means, Budapest is completely reluctant to do so. At the same time, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán continues to rely on close cooperation with Russia on energy supplies. As a result, the two previously closely linked national-conservative governments have become estranged from each other.
The fact that the United States is now openly criticizing Hungary and last week sanctioned Budapest-based Bank IIB, which critics consider a "Russian spy bank," has reinforced the impression that Budapest is increasingly isolated in the Western camp. In this case, Orbán immediately drew the consequences and announced Hungary's withdrawal from the IIB. The American sanctions announced last week were directed against several financial institutions, not Hungary, Orbán said on Friday in his regular broadcast on state radio. "We have good relations with the Americans," he assured, trying to joke by recalling that "we have only declared war on them once in our lives, in World War II, and, well, that was not exactly a successful diplomatic action."
The European Union has criticised the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain decided by Poland and Hungary. Unilateral trade measures by EU member states are not permitted, a spokesman for the EU Commission said in a written statement on Sunday. "In this context, it is important to emphasise that trade policy falls within the exclusive competence of the EU and therefore unilateral measures are unacceptable." The Minister of Agriculture of Ukraine, Mykola Solskyj, has expressed his regret at Poland's "unilateral" measure, which unfortunately also affects grain transit. He hoped for "constructive talks" on Monday.