Black Sea lane may end Kyiv’s grain dispute with Warsaw

A rebound in Black Sea grain exports could put an end to a rift between Ukraine and its neighbours, including Poland.

After Russia scuppered a UN deal ensuring safe passage out of Ukraine, at least 200 ships have sailed through an alternative corridor that follows the Black Sea’s western shores.

The success of the route is attributed to Ukrainian naval successes in the war and falling insurance costs that have led ship owners to return.

The volume of rail freight sent to Ukraine’s ports increased by 70 per cent from October to November, official data shows.

The rise in sea exports may also reduce ease tensions along land routes through Poland and Romania, where a glut of cheap Ukrainian grain has angered local farmers.

Poland wants to rally western powers behind Ukraine, after Kyiv’s relations with the previous nationalist government in Warsaw turned sour.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk also wants to repair ties with the EU after the former government flouted the bloc’s rules with moves including a ban on Ukrainian grain imports.

But Mr Tusk’s government said it would not allow a “complete and quick opening of the market” to Ukrainian grain, which it fears would undercut local farmers.

The sector remains on edge after prices slumped before the import ban.

New Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski is also from a rural party that Mr Tusk must keep happy to maintain a stable coalition.

He plans to support Ukraine while showing a “warm and friendly assertiveness” on Polish interests. “It is not that difficult,” Mr Tusk told MPs in an inaugural speech.