We have no direct evidence - so far - that Russia was invested in stirring up sentiment in Central Europe about Ukrainian agricultural exports. My Bulgarian and Polish friends say that they are sure of this, because this story is obviously a win-win for Russia. Not in the sense of banning our exports - it is obvious that a solution will be found. But the very fact of a difficult discussion between Brussels and the Central European members of the EU is definitely not a strengthening of solidarity.
Moreover, farmers in these countries have now become a more favorable category for Russian propaganda. And there is no doubt that the Kremlin will take advantage of this. It goes without saying that it will do so before national elections and before next year's European Parliament elections. The Kremlin has also gained additional arguments to promote its demands under the grain deal, primarily to ease restrictions on the export of its agricultural products and fertilizers. Not critical, but still.
“Farmers in these countries have now become a more favorable category for Russian propaganda. And there is no doubt that the Kremlin will take advantage of this. Certainly before the national elections and before the European Parliament elections next year.”
And most importantly, our enemies have a reason to say how difficult the pre-accession negotiations will be, particularly in the field of agriculture. Someone will reasonably call for not rushing into these negotiations. Or not to start them at all until the EU's Common Agricultural Policy is revised. This story of internal conflict in the EU could have been avoided if we had wanted to. It is not about Ukraine, but about internal balances in the EU. But now it is very important to calculate all its consequences, because they will bother us for a very long time.
About the author. Pavlo Klimkin, diplomat, former Ukraine's Foreign Minister.
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