We will make a decision on Friday on the EU embargo on grain from Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced on Tuesday that he had sent an ultimatum to the European Commission with a clear request to extend the ban on the import of four grains (wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds) from Ukraine after September 15. He added that if the European Commission does not agree, Poland will introduce a ban itself.
Embargo on grain from Ukraine. Von der Leyen on the EU’s decision
When asked on TVN24 about the grain embargo and Prime Minister Morawiecki’s announcement, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, replied: – We have established certain rules, we have decided that the ban will expire on Friday and that we will look at this process, figures and facts. This is the period we are in and we will make a decision on Friday.
She pointed out that 60 percent of Ukrainian grain is exported to other countries through solidarity corridors in the European Union. “We should not take this lightly,” she added.
She explained that the EU must create such corridors because Russia is blocking the Black Sea. – I strongly call on Russia to stop blocking the Black Sea Initiative, as it is necessary to feed the needy and supply them with Ukrainian grain, Von der Leyen said.
Incident in the Black Sea. ‘Russia risks war with NATO’
The situation in the Black Sea region has intensified after Russia refused to renew the grain deal that allows the safe export of grain from Ukrainian ports. In August, the American newspaper ‘New York Times’ called the Black Sea ‘the most dangerous sea in the world’, because the current tensions in this area pose a risk of a possible confrontation between Russia and NATO.
Recently, authorities in Ankara expressed concern over the incident involving the Turkish cargo ship Sukra Okan, which was boarded by the Russian military on August 13 to conduct an inspection. Turkey warned Russia against further escalation of the situation in the Black Sea if such incidents repeat.
James Stavridis, a retired US Navy admiral who commanded allied forces in Europe from 2009 to 2013, said actions such as the Russian military’s inspection of a Turkish ship could force Kiev’s allies to intervene to prevent Ukraine’s grain-dependent economy from being suppressed.
– Russian actions in the international waters of the Black Sea pose a real risk of escalation into a naval war between NATO and the Russian Federation, Stavridis said. He added that NATO “does not supply Ukraine with weapons and money just to watch Russia strangle its economy with an illegal blockade.”
Source: Do Rzeczy
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
