Veterinary and sanitary controls of Ukrainian agricultural cargo bound for the Lithuanian port of Klaipėda will in the next two days be transferred from the Polish-Ukrainian border directly to Klaipėda under a deal reached by Kyiv, Warsaw, and Vilnius, Reuters has reported.
A Ukrainian ministry statement quoted Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky as saying the move was aimed at speeding up transit through Poland.
The agreement means that Ukrainian grain, primarily destined for African and Middle Eastern markets, will be shipped through Poland, without having to stop at the border with Ukraine.
“From tomorrow, grain in transit (to world markets) through Lithuania will be inspected at the Lithuanian port instead of at the Polish-Ukrainian border,” Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus told journalists.
This is the first step in resolving the Ukraine-Poland spat over grain.
“The port of Klaipeda is ready to take over a part of the transit traffic, so I am pleased that cross-border cooperation aimed at facilitating border crossing procedures has been successful and beneficial to Ukraine,” Lithuanian Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Navickas said in a press release.
Tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv were sparked by Poland’s refusal to let in Ukrainian grain, a move that drew bitter criticism from President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Warsaw has extended restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural product imports, even though the EU decided to open up its market.
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