President Zelensky Urges European Union to Lift Ban on Ukrainian Agricultural Products in Five Countries

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky asked the European Union to ensure the lifting of the ban on Ukrainian agricultural products in five countries, ahead of the expiry of the ban next September.

This is related to the plans of five central European countries which plan to extend the ban which will end on September 15, at least until the end of this year.

In his evening video address delivered after a meeting with government officials, President Zelensky said there was no question of extending the ban past the deadline.

"We believe that the European side will fulfill its obligations on that date, when the temporary restrictions will no longer apply," President Zelensky said, citing Reuters, July 25.

"Any extension of these restrictions is completely unacceptable and clearly un-European. Europe has the institutional capacity to act more rationally than closing this or that border for this or that type of goods," he explained.

Ukraine, continued President Zelensky, "is actively working with everyone to find solutions that are in line with our European spirit".

Earlier, President Zelensky wrote on Telegram, any extension was "unacceptable in any form".

The EU in May allowed Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds. But allow the transit of these cargoes for export to other places.

The countries are some of Kyiv's staunchest diplomatic backers in its war against Moscow, but they say the influx of Ukrainian grain has hurt their agricultural sector.

Poland will not lift the ban on September 15 even if the European Union does not agree on its extension, its prime minister said last week.