Poland demands an import ban on Ukrainian strawberries

Poland's request to extend the import restrictions comes after Russia pulled out of an agreement to ship Black Sea grain by sea this month. This further increased the concerns of Poland and other EU border countries that neighboring Ukraine will increase agricultural exports. The atmosphere in the meeting room in Brussels is expected to be quite cool, say diplomats. Poland has pushed other EU member states to support ever-tightening sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, at a significant cost to their own economies. "Poland claims to be Ukraine's best friend, but meanwhile it is more concerned with protecting its own interests - especially the interests of the ruling party - catering to rural voters" several diplomats told the Financial Times. New figures from the commission show that Ukrainian shipments of corn, wheat, sunflower seeds and rapeseed to the five countries were just 13,000 tonnes in June, down from ...