The Polish ban on imports of Ukrainian grain and other foodstuffs will also apply to the transit of these goods through the country, the Minister of Development and Technology said today. Unilateral trade action by members of the European Union is unacceptable, a European Commission spokesman said.

Poland and Hungary said yesterday they had decided to ban imports from neighboring Ukraine to protect their domestic agricultural sector after prices fell due to increased supply across the region. The Polish ban came into effect last night.

“The ban is complete, including the ban on transit through Poland,” Valdemar Buda wrote on Twitter, adding that talks would be held with the Ukrainian side to create a system to ensure that products only pass through Poland and do not end up in local market.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Agricultural Policy and Food said yesterday that the Polish ban contradicted existing bilateral agreements on exports and called for talks to resolve the issue.

Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported that Ukrainian and Polish ministers are expected to meet in Poland on Monday and that the transit arrangement will be at the center of the talks.

Ukraine exports most of its agricultural products, particularly grain, through its Black Sea ports, which were blocked in July under a deal between Ukraine, Turkey, Russia and the United Nations.

About three million tons leave Ukraine every month through the Black Sea grain corridor, while only up to 200,000 tons are headed to European ports through Polish territory, according to the Ukrainian ministry.

Ukraine’s Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky said over the weekend that 500,000 to 700,000 tons of various agricultural products cross the border with Poland every month, including grain, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, meat and other products.

A representative of the European Commission stated today that unilateral action in trade by members of the European Union is unacceptable.

After the Russian invasion blocked some Black Sea ports, large quantities of Ukrainian grain, which is cheaper than that produced in the European Union, ends up staying in central European countries due to bottlenecks in supply chains, hurting prices and sales for local producers. .

The issue has caused a political problem for Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party in an election year, as it has angered residents of rural areas where support for the party is typically high.

“We are aware of the announcements by Poland and Hungary regarding the ban on imports of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine,” the spokesman said in an email. “In this context, it is important to underline that trade policy is the exclusive competence of the EU and, therefore, unilateral actions are not acceptable.”

“In such challenging times, it is critical that all decisions within the EU are coordinated and aligned,” the statement added.