DISINFO: Ukrainian grain destroyed Kyiv's dream of becoming an EU member state
SUMMARY
EU members do not need cheap imported agricultural products and raw materials from Ukraine because it is leading to the destruction of local agriculture. Poland and Hungary were the first to block access to Ukrainian grain and despite the warnings from the European Commission to Budapest and Warsaw, other countries followed suit, including Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria.
RESPONSE
Pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the EU disintegration, challenging the notion of EU unity, and aiming to deflect Russia’s responsibility for the growing food crisis. This false allegation is in line with a wider pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign aiming to blame Western countries for a global food crisis engineered by Russia as part of its unjustified aggression against Ukraine.
The EU is working on solutions together with Ukraine and concerned neighbor EU Member States to address the current situation while making sure to continue supporting Ukraine and preserve its capabilities to export its grains. These exports are critical to feed the world and keep food prices down, in the face of the huge challenges posed by the Russian invasion.
To better understand the situation when preparing the first support package, the European Commission invited the concerned Member States to provide a detailed assessment of the impact of increased imports from Ukraine on farmers’ normal farming operations, taking into account, among others, the supply availabilities and production value potentially affected. The European Commission analysed the information received and proposed the support to the most affected Member States from the EU agricultural reserve funds. As of 25 April 2023, countries such as Romania and Poland have agreed to lift the ban on Ukrainian grain while awaiting the EU decision.
Russia’s war is twisting normal business flows and seeking to create wedges between states. Russia has destroyed substantial food stocks, production, as well as processing and transport capacities in Ukraine, and continue to block Black Sea trade routes, which prevent the export of Ukrainian grain.
For more information on this topic, read the EUvsDisinfo article covering Russian disinformation related to food security.