Ukraine, Romania to ease border red tape after grain deal end

World

Published: 2023-08-18 19:54

Last Updated: 2024-05-08 02:15


Ukraine, Romania to ease border red tape after grain deal end
Ukraine, Romania to ease border red tape after grain deal end

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said Friday that Kyiv was seeking to ease passage for goods to Romania during a visit to Bucharest, according to AFP.

Romania has emerged as a key transit point for grain exports from Ukraine since Moscow scrapped a deal last month allowing safe passage for vessels on the Black Sea.

Shmygal hailed "important and constructive" talks with his counterpart Marcel Ciolacu and said the countries had signed an agreement "ensuring the reliable transit of Ukrainian goods".

Ukrainian ports on the Danube river have become a key target for Russian forces since Moscow exited the exports accord last month.

Shmygal said the two countries had agreed to rebuild and improve destroyed infrastructure on the river, which cargo ships now rely on to ship grain to Romania.

"We plan to open new checkpoints along our common border for road, rail, sea and river traffic," the Ukrainian prime minister said.

Ciolacu meanwhile said Romania wanted to increase the amount of Ukrainian grain transiting his country.

"We set an ambitious goal of doubling the transit of Ukrainian grain from 2 million tonnes monthly -- the current amount -- to 4 million tonnes," he said.

Ukraine announced this month it had opened new shipping routes in defiance of Russia's blockade, as the first civilian cargo ship using the route arrived in Istanbul Thursday.