Ukraine, Slovakia strike grain exports deal, Slovak ministry says

Slovakia and Ukraine have struck a deal on a new grain trading system that should see Slovakia’s current import ban lifted by the end of the year, Slovakia said Thursday.

“Until this system is launched and its full functionality is tested, the ban on the im-port of four commodities from Ukraine… is still valid until the end of 2023,” the Slovak agriculture ministry said in a statement.

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The spokesman said that during a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counter-part Mykola Solskyi on Wednesday, Slovakian minister Jozef Bires asked “that Ukraine cease all legal actions against Slovakia, which it had announced, as well as the declarations on the cessation of trade in agricultural products from Slovakia to Ukraine.

“Minister Solskyi promised yesterday to put an end to these actions,” the spokes-man said.

Slovakia, along with Poland and Hungary, has extended its embargo on Ukrainian grain despite the EU’s decision to lift the restrictions.

In response, Kyiv announced that it had lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Kyiv said Thursday it would hold talks with Warsaw in the coming days over the escalating dispute, as the neighbors reiterated their “close” ties.

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