France backs Poland’s calls to restrict imports of Ukrainian products into the European Union – Politico

France has supported Poland’s calls for limiting the export of agricultural products from Ukraine to the European Union.

This was reported by Politico, citing diplomatic sources.

The publication states that on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk held talks during the meeting of the “Weimar Triangle” countries in Berlin and issued a joint statement in support of Ukraine in its struggle against Russian aggression.

However, both leaders also agreed to take a joint position regarding new restrictions on Ukrainian product shipments to the EU—a matter to be discussed at the European leaders’ summit in Brussels today.

According to Politico, the restrictions insisted upon by Paris and Warsaw could cost the Ukrainian economy €1.2 billion in lost revenue.

“This is a huge loss for a country that needs all possible assistance,” said one unnamed European diplomat to the publication. “Those EU members who show the most support for Ukraine at the same time inflict the greatest damage to this country.”

The article mentions that France and Poland’s position aims to appease farmers who have repeatedly protested in recent months, including against the import of cheap food from Ukraine and complex bureaucratic procedures.

The European Commission recently proposed to restrict EU imports of Ukrainian sugar, poultry, and eggs while leaving the export of other agricultural products unrestricted. However, as Politico reports, Poland (and now France) are insisting on limits for Ukrainian cereal crops and honey exports to the EU.

It’s worth noting that earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk failed to reach an agreement with farmers to unblock the import of Ukrainian grain.

Meanwhile, the European Parliament recently did not approve the European Commission’s proposal to extend duty-free imports of agricultural products from Ukraine to the EU for another year.