Ukraine and Romania have signed a new deal to increase the transit of grain through Romania’s territory, following Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s ports and the termination of a previous deal last month. Russia had warned that it would consider all ships heading to Ukraine via the Black Sea as potential military carriers.
The Prime Ministers of Ukraine and Romania finalized the agreement during a meeting in Bucharest. Constanta, a Romanian port on the Black Sea, has become a major alternative shipping route for Ukraine, with hopes that more than 60% of Ukrainian grain exports will transit Romania. Other EU member states, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, have also banned grain imports from Ukraine to protect their domestic farmers.
Under the agreement, shipments of wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds from Ukraine can continue to transit through Romania and the other concerned countries, and enter other EU states. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal expressed gratitude to the Romanian government for their support and discussed plans to further strengthen cooperation and improve transport infrastructure.
