On Friday, the E.U.'s ban on Ukrainian grain imports for five neighbors of Ukraine expired. Three of those neighbors, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, decided to keep those restrictions in place. This choice serves as a dent in the relatively united support for Ukraine across Europe.
The counties that decided to keep the restrictions in place cited the need to protect their own farmers. They reason that the flood of Ukrainian grain into their countries will drive the price of grain down, hurting their farmers as a result. Thus, leaders of these countries claim they are not against Ukraine, rather, they are against hurting their own state.
Ukraine has not directly addressed the choice of its neighbors to ban its grain, however, President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that European Unity works only when neighbors work together, implying that if Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia truly support Ukraine, then they should allow the importation of its grain.
By: Frank Kwak:
Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/16/world/europe/ukraine-grain-ban-poland-hungary-slovakia.html
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