The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced their intention to create a joint coordination group with the EU to resolve problematic issues related to the export of Ukrainian agricultural products.
The president announced this at a joint briefing with the president of the European Commission in Kyiv.
Zelenskyі noted that Ukraine is counting on the solidarity of neighboring countries in view of the extraordinary challenges it has to deal with.
"Tough, even brutal, wartime protectionist measures of our neighbors cannot help but disappoint, to say the least. Any restrictions on our exports now are absolutely unacceptable, because it strengthens not all of us in Europe, but only strengthens the aggressor's capabilities ", said Zelenskyі.
"We propose to create a coordination group to monitor relevant problematic issues and to refrain from any trade decisions without consultations with Ukraine. We expect from the EU strong European decisions and the removal of all restrictions as soon as possible - if there is political will. And our negotiations today show that there is such a will.
We will be able to find optimal and really strong solutions that will protect the interests of both Europe as a whole and Ukrainians who suffer, in addition to everything, from the export restrictions applied to us," said Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen noted that the situation with Ukrainian exports requires an urgent solution.
"The immediate priority now is to ensure that grain imports continue continuously and at the lowest possible costs. This requires close cooperation between the various parties. For this, we will create a coordination platform to make the 'ways of solidarity' fully functional," said Ursula von der Layen
We will remind, on May 2, the European Commission took exceptional and temporary measures regarding the import of certain agricultural goods from Ukraine to five EU countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, while preserving their transit.
The ban will be in effect until June 5, but its extension is possible.