'Imaginary concern': Russia criticizes Poland for Ukraine grain ban

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has criticized Poland for banning imports of grain and other food products from Ukraine, saying the decision indicates the West's "imaginary concern" for the hungry.

“Imagine, this is how Poland talks to Ukraine, while it still needs it, as a subject, as an anti-Russian toolkit," Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram late Sunday. "And when the border is erased, the remnants of Ukraine are absorbed by Warsaw, then no one will talk to the local population at all."

"Such a decision is very indicative from the point of view of exposing the imaginary concern of the Westerners for the hungry and those in need of food," she added.

Authorities say Poland and Hungary's decision to ban Ukrainian grain imports is meant to protect their farming sectors from cheap imports.

Polish Economic Development and Technology Minister Waldemar Buda said the ban applied to goods in transit as well.

While the EU called the move "unilateral" and "unacceptable," Kyiv regretted the Polish decision saying it "has always supported open, constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation."

Ukraine’s Agriculture Policy and Food Minister Mykola Solskyi also spoke to his Hungarian counterpart Istvan Nagy and “emphasized the necessity to continue negotiations in order to reach arrangements on the export of Ukrainian agricultural products and the unacceptability of unilateral decisions.”​​​​​​​