Romania is Ready to Double Transit of Ukrainian Grain

On Friday, August 11th, during negotiations in the port city of Galati involving officials from the United States, the European Union, Moldova, and Ukraine, Romania's Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, announced that Romania will take measures to increase the transit capacity of Ukrainian grain from 2 million to 4 million tons per month, as reported by Libertatea. The aim of the meeting between officials from the aforementioned countries was to explore alternative export routes for Ukrainian cereals due to Russia's exit from the grain deal.

"We have agreed that the export of Ukrainian grain should be accelerated in light of the Russian missile attacks that targeted Ukrainian ports in Reni and Izmail in recent weeks. During the meeting, I emphasized the importance of Romanian land, rail, and maritime transport routes to ensure a continuous flow of exports and imports from Ukraine," Sorin Grindeanu emphasized at the negotiations in Galati, as noted by Agerpres.

Representatives from the US Embassy in Bucharest labeled this meeting as "decisive" on the eve of negotiations, demonstrating their commitment to ensuring the continuity of Ukrainian grain exports to satisfy global demand.

Following the meeting in Galati, its participants underscored that the USA confirms its readiness to provide financial assistance to neighboring countries of Ukraine in improving logistics, facilitating cargo handling, and expanding the transit capabilities of Romania and Moldova. "The US support will encompass the expansion of alternative export routes, the modernization of border crossing points and critical infrastructure for rail and road transport, as well as supporting the development of export capacities along the Danube," noted Grindeanu after the meeting.

During the post-negotiation press conference, the Minister of Transport also highlighted that to achieve the set goals in terms of Ukrainian grain transportation volumes, it is necessary to optimize the capacity of the Sulina Canal, which connects the Danube and the Black Sea.

"From a transportation perspective on the Danube, the Sulina Canal represents the most effective waterway for grain transportation, hence the optimization of its capacity is crucial. This has been a very productive meeting that will enable us to take the necessary steps to increase the capacity for grain transit coming from Ukraine through Romania. This way, we will reach our goal for the next period, which is nearly 4 million tons, as opposed to the current 2 million tons we have monthly," added Grindeanu.