The European Union's executive arm Monday denounced and called "unacceptable" the unilateral bans imposed by Poland and Hungary over the weekend on imports of grain and other food from Ukraine to protect their local agricultural sectors from an influx of supply.
Slovakia, meanwhile, said Monday it would do the same, and other countries in Central and Eastern Europe said they were also considering action.
Some Black Sea ports were blocked after Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year. Large quantities of Ukrainian grain – cheaper than that produced in the European Union – stayed in Central European countries due to logistical bottlenecks.
Local farmers say this has lowered prices and reduced sales, and governments have asked the European Union to act.
This mounted pressure on governments that had turned to the European Union for action before Warsaw and Budapest took their own decisions over the weekend. Poland, Hungary and Slovakia are part of a group that sought to have bloc-wide import tariffs as part of possible measures.
In an election year, the oversupply has become a political issue for Poland's ruling Law and Justice (PIS) party. It has angered people in rural areas where support for PiS is usually high.
"We are aware of Poland and Hungary's announcements related to the ban on grain imports and other agricultural products from Ukraine," a spokesperson for the European Commission said in an emailed statement.
"In this context, it is important to underline that trade policy is of EU exclusive competence and, therefore, unilateral actions are unacceptable."
"In such challenging times, it is crucial to coordinate and align all decisions within the EU," the statement added.
Poland's ban on grains also applied to transit through the country. Officials have said it is meant to keep grain transport from entering the Polish market.
Kyiv sought to reopen food and grain transit via Poland as "a first step" to ending import bans at talks in Warsaw on Monday.
"The first step, in our opinion, should be the opening of transit because it is quite important, and it is something that should be done unconditionally and after that, we will discuss other issues," said Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky.
About 10% of food goods Ukraine exports cross the Polish border, Solsky said in comments published on the Telegram messaging app by the Agriculture Ministry.
He said deliveries to Hungary accounted for around 6% of Ukraine's farm exports, adding that food transit via Hungary and Slovakia was unaffected.
He also said there would be additional talks this week in Romania on Wednesday and Slovakia on Thursday.
Farm Minister Istvan Nagy said Monday that Hungary would use "all possible means" to protect its farmers from market disruptions caused by massive grain imports from Ukraine.
Nagy said a solution was needed beyond the national level. "Joint European action and EU measures are inevitable," he stressed.
Polish government spokesperson Piotr Muller told state-run news agency PAP that the government was in constant contact with the European Commission on the issue and that the ban was possible due to a security clause.
Poland and Hungary have been embroiled in long-running conflicts with Brussels over issues including judicial independence, media freedoms and LGBT rights. Both have had funds withheld due to concerns over the rule of law.
Solsky talked to Hungarian counterpart Istvan Nagy on Sunday and underlined that unilateral decisions were unacceptable, his ministry said in a statement. The two agreed to talk again soon, the source added.
The ministry on Saturday said that the Polish ban contradicted existing bilateral export agreements and called for talks to settle the issue.
Meanwhile, a senior EU official said on Monday that EU member countries' envoys in Brussels would discuss the moves by Poland and Hungary this week.
The senior EU official, speaking anonymously, said low global prices and demand meant grain was staying in the bloc rather than being sold on.
"We expect Poland and Hungary to offer some explanation and there will also be a reaction by the European Commission," said the official, adding that the matter was raised at the last summit of EU national leaders, including Slovakia and Romania.
"There is an issue and we expect the Commission to come up with a proposal on that ... We'll see what we can do in the coming weeks and months."
A government spokesperson said Monday that Slovakia planned to temporarily halt imports of grains and other selected products from Ukraine.
The Polish ban, which came into effect on Saturday evening, will also apply to the transit of these products through the country, the development and technology minister said on Sunday.
"The ban is all-encompassing, including the ban on transit through Poland," Waldemar Buda wrote on Twitter, adding that talks would be held with Ukraine to create a system that ensures goods only pass through Poland and do not end up in the local market.
On Sunday, Poland's Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said that the ban was necessary to "open the eyes of the EU to the fact that further decisions are needed that will allow products from Ukraine to go deep into Europe and not stay in Poland."
The finance ministry said the ban is due to last until June 30.
Ukraine usually exports most of its agricultural goods, especially grain, via its Black Sea ports, which were unblocked in July in line with an agreement between Ukraine, Türkiye, Russia and the United Nations.
That accord is scheduled to expire on May 18 and Moscow indicated last week that it may not be extended unless the West removes obstacles to exports of Russian grains and fertilizers.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski told radio station RMF that talks with Ukraine could at least relieve the tensions with farmers in central-eastern Europe.
"We want to lead to a situation where not even the smallest grain transport, which is to be exported, (is) introduced to the Polish market," he said.
"The ultimate goal is not that the import ban will be in force indefinitely, but to ensure that grain from Ukraine, which is to be exported, goes (where it is headed)," Jablonski added.
In a letter to the European Commission last month, the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia said there had been an unprecedented increase in shipments of products, including grains, oilseeds, eggs, poultry and sugar.
They said tariffs on Ukrainian agricultural imports should be considered. Instead, states have pushed for a purchase mechanism to scoop up the cheap grain.
Jablonski said the letter had yet to receive any response.
Around 3 million tons of grain leave Ukraine every month via the Black Sea grain corridor, while only up to 200,000 tons are moving to European ports through Polish territory, according to the Ukrainian ministry.
Solsky said during the weekend that 500,000 to 700,000 tons of various agricultural products cross the Polish border every month, including grain, vegetable oil, sugar, eggs, meat and other products.
