A driver looks at wheat being unloaded from the combine into a car during harvesting in a farm field near Malopolovetske village, some a hundred kilometers from Kyiv.Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images

EU neighbors shun Kyiv’s plea to free trapped grain – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

BRUSSELS — Domestic farmers’ worries are trumping EU solidarity with Kyiv as the Black Sea blockade threatens to fuel a global food crisis and stunt Ukraine’s next harvest.

Ukraine needs help getting millions of tons of grain exports out of the country, as attacks on ports and ships continue into a third month.

Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi came to Brussels this week to make a direct appeal to his EU counterparts. Ukraine needs to be able to move more farm products through Europe, as well as €1.1 billion to cover higher shipping costs. Without help, cash-strapped farmers won't be able to start planting for next season, compounding the problem.