Poland ought to purchase a piece of Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odessa to move grain, Polish Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Growth Michal Kolodziejczak has mentioned.
Odessa, based by the Russian Empire in 1794 on the positioning of a Turkish fortress, is a globally necessary port for the export of grain, corn and sunflower oil.
“That is what I need to suggest: Why don’t we speak to the Ukrainians about promoting a wharf or leasing it to us for 50 years in order that the Poles may have their very own grain port?” the official advised Polsat Information on Friday.
“Such a spot could possibly be discovered, for instance, in Odessa, the place Polish and European grain shall be transported. This manner, we’ll safe entry to the Black Sea,” he added. Kolodziejczak instructed that the port could possibly be used to export the grain from southeastern Poland.
The deputy minister mentioned that he was “afraid” of Ukraine becoming a member of the EU “as a result of we don’t know what’s going to occur.”
“If [only] we had this on a platter: 500,000 hectares in Ukraine for Polish breeding firms,” he added. Kolodziejczak argued that if Ukraine joined the EU, its residents must be banned from investing in Polish agriculture for 10 years. Kiev utilized to affix the bloc in February 2022, and Brussels formally launched accession negotiations in December 2023.
Russia has repeatedly struck the infrastructure of the port of Odessa, which it mentioned was being utilized by the Ukrainian military to launch seaborne kamikaze drones.
In July 2022, Russia and Ukraine reached a UN-backed settlement to permit for the protected passage of grain ships from Ukraine’s ports. Moscow, nonetheless, withdrew from the deal in 2023, accusing the West of failing to carry sanctions.
The Kremlin mentioned final month that it might return to the deal if the West eliminated sanctions on banks and corporations concerned in meals and fertilizer exports. Russia and the US are at present discussing a maritime truce as a step in direction of a complete ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev.
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