Ukraine to Forge New Export Route via Danube Amid Border Situation with Poland
The Ukrainian government is planning to establish an additional route for transporting goods to Europe via the Danube River due to the border blockade with Poland. This was announced by Ukraine's Minister of Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, in an interview with Bloomberg.
According to him, the new route for transporting Ukrainian products will run through the Danube from the port of Izmail in the Odessa region to the Romanian city of Constanta and ports in Germany located on the banks of one of Europe's main waterways.
"Our plans for this year are to eliminate all artificial obstacles for exporters. We are working on improving internal logistics. We plan container transportation via the upper Danube, as Romania is more predictable than the Polish border," said Oleksandr Kubrakov.
The Ukrainian official also noted that despite many exporters preferring transportation via the Black Sea due to its more advantageous price, the volumes transported via the Danube remain significant, ranging from 1.2 to 1.8 million tons per month.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine reported earlier this month that the company "Ukrainian Danube Shipping" has already constructed a second large-tonnage barge SLG for cargo delivery.
"We transport not only agricultural products but also auto parts for German car manufacturers, processed products that are not directed to Poland. The border blockade means billions in losses for both our economy and the economy of the European Union," the minister emphasized.
It's worth noting that on the morning of February 20, Polish farmers blocked the movement of trains near the Medyka checkpoint on the border with Ukraine and spilled grain from a freight wagon onto the tracks.
"The grain spilled by Polish protesters on the border with Ukraine is a telling demonstration of disrespect for farmers' work, a violation of the law, and those responsible for this offence must be held accountable," said Ukraine's Ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Zvarych.
Poland began blocking the border with Ukraine on November 6, 2023. At that time, Polish carriers began blocking the movement of trucks at the Krakovets-Korchova, Yahodyn-Dorohusk, and Rava-Ruska-Hrebenne checkpoints, allegedly due to excessive competition from Ukrainian carriers following the liberalization of international transportation between Ukraine and the EU.