As of: 06/20/2022 4:33 p.m
The EU countries are desperately looking for a solution to the blockade of grain exports from Ukraine. EU chief diplomat Borrell expects a deal soon. The warnings about the consequences of failure are becoming more and more drastic.
According to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the problem of grain exports blocked in Ukraine will be solved. “We’re making progress and (…) I’m sure that the United Nations will reach an agreement in the end,” said the Spaniard at an EU meeting on the negotiations, particularly with Russia and Ukraine.
It is inconceivable that millions of tons of wheat are still blocked in Ukraine while people in the rest of the world are starving. At the time of a possible settlement, Borrell said he couldn’t imagine it taking much longer. If so, Russia will be responsible.
Worried about a huge hunger crisis
The blockade of grain exports is a “genuine war crime”. Human hunger should not be used as a weapon of war.
Because of the Russian attack, the blockade of the Black Sea ports and the enormous rise in grain prices on the world market, many countries in Africa, for example, cannot be supplied with foodstuffs such as wheat as planned. “We are heading for one of the biggest hunger crises in recent decades and must do everything possible to avoid as much as possible,” said Federal Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) of the dpa news agency.
During the EU consultations in Luxembourg, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock pointed out that there will be an international conference in Berlin this Friday to deal with the issue of grain exports from Ukraine. The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also come to this, said the Green politician.
Search for alternate routes
The international community has been demanding that Russia allow the export of Ukrainian grain for weeks. Ukraine complains that its ports in the Black Sea are blocked by the Russian Navy. Both countries are among the largest wheat exporters and play an important role in global food security.
In order to enable at least part of the normal Ukrainian grain exports, alternative routes via EU countries such as Romania are currently being used and expanded. However, these are not nearly as efficient as the previous main export route via the port of the Ukrainian Black Sea metropolis of Odessa.
There is time pressure in the search for a solution, mainly because another harvest is imminent in Ukraine and the country’s storage facilities are still well stocked with grain from the previous harvest due to the Black Sea blockade. According to estimates, around 20 million tons of grain are stored in Ukrainian ports.
Grain export via Hungary possible?
Large quantities of this grain could also be exported via Hungary. At least that’s what Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto suggested during the meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Poland, meanwhile, opened five additional clearance points for trucks at a border crossing with Ukraine to facilitate the export of grain from the neighboring country. This is a doubling of the number of the previous check-in points, said the head of the Polish Prime Minister’s office, Michal Dworczyk, at the Korczowa-Krakowiec border crossing.
Technical problems difficult to overcome
The additional clearance points would help reduce congestion and waiting times for freight traffic on both sides of the border. Ukraine’s infrastructure minister Olexandr Kubrakov said this also serves global food security.
Poland’s Minister of Agriculture, Henryk Kowalczyk, recently said it aims to export 1.5 million tons per month. Ukraine has expressed the expectation of being able to export up to five million tons of grain overland via Poland. However, this is not possible because Poland is not technically prepared for it. According to him, the biggest problem is the different track widths of the railways – in Ukraine, tracks are laid in Russian broad gauge.