Warsaw - Three European Union member states are poised to defy the regional bloc and are expected to prolong the temporary ban on Ukrainian grain imports.

Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, EU member nations Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia are set to extend the temporary ban. On Friday, the European Union revealed its intention to lift the ban on the export of Ukrainian grain to a select group of Eastern European countries. The ban had been implemented in May of the current year, restricting Ukraine from exporting grains to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

According to CNN, these measures were taken to mitigate the risk of farmers in the mentioned countries facing price competition from cheap Ukrainian grain. Ukraine is already grappling with challenges in exporting grain due to the ongoing war and its inability to use Black Sea routes. Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki stated, "We will extend this ban despite the European Union's disagreement. We will not listen to Berlin or von der Leyen, Tusk or Weber. We will do it because it is in the interests of the Polish farmer," in an interview with Polish state news agency PAP.

On Saturday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban conveyed his intentions through a post on Twitter. He asserted that Brussels bureaucrats were ignoring the issue and declared, "It's time to take matters into our own hands! Ukrainian agricultural products destined for #Africa are flooding Central European markets. The bureaucrats in Brussels are turning a blind eye to the problems of European farmers once again, so Hungary, Poland and Slovakia are extending the ban on Ukrainian imports on a national basis."

Slovakia's stance aligns with Zelenskyy's appreciation for the EU's decision

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the European Union's move and expressed gratitude to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He noted that all previous European Commission restrictions on Ukraine's agricultural exports had been lifted. Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of European solidarity and expressed the hope that neighboring countries would support Ukraine during times of war, while also adhering to EU legislation.

Slovakia's Ministry of Agriculture maintained a similar position, announcing that it would extend the ban to safeguard the interests of its farmers. This decision came after Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis called on member states to collaborate and avoid unilateral actions.