"Politico": Putin won a war he didn't
start.
The newspaper "Politico" considered that the wheat war between Poland and Ukraine played into the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin, even though he did not initiate it. However, it highlighted Russia's strength as the world's largest producer and exporter of grains.
Poland is considering
temporarily closing its borders with Ukraine, and the situation has
led Kyiv to accuse Warsaw of blockading Ukrainian grains
while allowing free entry for Russian goods worth millions of euros.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has
tried to shift the blame for the problems faced by Polish and European farmers
onto Russia, calling for a ban on Russian grain
imports at the European Union level.
However, there is no evidence to support
Tusk's claims that the problems faced by Polish farmers are due to Russian or
even Ukrainian imports.
Another European country, Latvia,
attempted to rally for a ban on agricultural imports within the
European Union in January. Still, it failed because other EU member
states declared it would cost too much.
Unlike energy and several other products,
western sanctions do not include Russian food products.
Countries within the European
Union, such as Spain and Italy, remain major
importers of Russian
grains.
Since February, Poland has witnessed widespread protests by
farmers who have blocked roads and inspection points on the border with Ukraine,
demanding a halt to agricultural imports from Ukraine and
abandoning EU environmental plans.
Germany, France, Belgium, and other EU
countries have also seen widespread protests by farmers due to soaring fuel and
fertilizer prices following sanctions against Russia.
The flooding of their markets with Ukrainian grains, which Russia prevents from
being exported via the Black Sea, causing them to be transported to
Europe by land and depressing prices further, has exacerbated the situation.
Source: Novosti
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