Ukraine suspends WTO's "grain courts" with Poland, Slovakia and Hungary: what happened

Ukraine's complaints to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia for imposing grain embargoes have been put on hold. The Ukrainian side expects to find a compromise with the EU countries.

This was stated by Trade Representative and Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka in Brussels, Interfax-Ukraine reports. According to him, the lawsuits remain frozen while negotiations on possible mechanisms for future food supplies are underway.

"While we are looking for a practical solution, our disputes within WTO are on hold," Kachka said. He emphasized that the WTO dispute process has not been initiated as Ukraine has only submitted a request for consultations.

According to the trade representative, the embargo may be lifted in the coming "weeks and months." He also announced "a lot of news" about the licensing regime for Ukrainian agricultural products for export to the EU.

Earlier, Kachka said that Ukraine could withdraw its appeal to the WTO only if it receives guarantees that Poland, Hungary and Slovakia will not impose unilateral trade bans in the future. At the moment, it is not known whether this condition was met or whether Ukraine simply changed its position during the negotiations.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Ukraine has already officially appealed to five EU countries and proposed a mechanism for checking exports of corn, rapeseed, sunflower and wheat. This mechanism is fully consistent with the European Commission's decision, but technical details need to be agreed with individual countries.

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