Croatia will not import Ukrainian grain, says prime minister
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković (Getty Images)
Croatia has announced its decision not to import Ukrainian grain, following the example set by Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, according to Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
"Croatia's stance and desire is that we are a transit country, not a country receiving enormous amounts of Ukrainian grain that is cheaper than ours, which would mean our farmers are in trouble," said Plenković.
Kyiv launched legal action at the World Trade Organization against the three European Union countries over their refusal to drop a ban on Ukrainian agricultural products.
Poland, Hungary and Slovakia implemented unilateral bans to protect their domestic agricultural industries from a surge in cheap grain exports from Ukraine, defying the European Commission, which last Friday decided to allow Ukrainian grain sales across the EU.
When asked whether Croatia would implement a similar ban, Plenković would not say, but reiterated that Croatian ports were currently facilitating the passage of Ukrainian grain to third countries.
Transit through Croatia
Croatia has offered Ukraine the use of its seaports, as access to the Black Sea is blocked by Russia.
The amount of grain exported through Croatian ports is unknown, but this route has become increasingly popular, as stated earlier this month by Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko.
Previously, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said that several thousand tons of grain have already been shipped from Croatian ports, with most going to Italy and some to northern Africa.
