MOSCOW, May 6. Ukraine is ready to impose a ban on imports from Moldova in response to a possible introduction by Chisinau of restrictions on the import of Ukrainian grains and oilseeds, said in an interview on Saturday, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Taras Kachka.
Earlier, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solsky criticized Chisinau's intention to impose restrictions on the import of Ukrainian grains and oilseeds.
«We have informed Chisinau that any restriction on the part of Moldova will be considered an extremely unfriendly step and will entail an immediate ban on all imports from Moldova,» he told the Ukrainian publication Evropeyskaya Pravda.
According to Kachka, the introduction of such a ban has already been agreed, the preparation process has been launched.
The European Commission said it had taken measures on Tuesday to import certain grain crops from Ukraine. According to the commission, the measures are aimed at eliminating the logistical difficulties associated with these products in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. They came into force on May 2 and will last until June 5, 2023. The Moldovan association «Strength of Farmers» appealed to the authorities with a demand to introduce a similar ban, the Ministry of Agriculture expressed its readiness to meet these requirements.