If the moratorium on grain imports from Ukraine expires on September 15, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia will extend restrictions on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products at the national level. Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy announced this on September 13.

“We agreed with our Romanian, Bulgarian and Slovak colleagues that if there is no decision from Brussels to extend the moratorium, we will continue individually within the framework of national competencies. We would like to coordinate this process,” Nagy noted in a video message on his Facebook page (owned by the Meta company, which is recognized as extremist and banned in the Russian Federation).

He also added that the import ban will not apply to four products, but a more expanded list of them will be presented.

On May 2, the European Commission banned the export of Ukrainian grain to five Eastern European countries until June 5. At the same time, it left grain transit to other EU countries allowed. Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, in turn, pledged to cancel unilateral measures regarding products coming from Ukraine. At the beginning of July, the European Union extended restrictions on the import of these products until September 15.

On August 14, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Poland would defend its interests in the issue of supplies of Ukrainian grain and stand guard over the interests of the republic. Duda noted that Poland will not agree to lift the blockade of Ukrainian grain, which will expire on September 15.

On September 6, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, in an address to the summit of countries participating in the Three Seas Initiative, stated that Ukraine is categorically against any further restrictions on grain exports. He stated that if it becomes necessary to fight for Ukraine and the foundations of “our common Europe” in arbitrations, he will be ready to go to court.