Ukraine is in talks with European Union member states Poland and Slovakia about moving customs checks on lorries carrying grain exports from the border to inside those countries, to halt Russian drone attacks on the trucks, Reuters reported on Friday, citing a Financial Times report.
Source: Reuters
Ukraine's foreign ministry said Kyiv had already set up joint border control points with Moldova and wanted to scale up the initiative with other neighbours, including Poland, the Financial Times reported, according to Reuters.
Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told the FT the move was driven by a new security environment where, in his words, Russia is deliberately trying to strike Ukraine's borders, and Kyiv wanted to finalise an agreement with Poland as soon as possible.
The proposal would mean grain lorries spend less time stationary at exposed border crossings, where queues of trucks have made an easy target. No agreement has been announced yet, and Poland and Slovakia have not publicly confirmed a deal in the reports cited.
Grain exports are a lifeline for Ukraine's economy and for food supplies well beyond Europe. Keeping export routes moving — even under drone threat — affects global grain prices, including markets that supply South Asia.