00:00Joining me now is Taras Vysotsky, Ukraine's Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food.
00:06Sir, thank you so much for joining us on Euronews.
00:08Thank you for the invitation. Great to meet you.
00:10So, first, we know about the immense pressure on Ukraine's agriculture economy
00:16due to both strikes within the country on storage facilities,
00:20but also, of course, on the export routes.
00:23Sir, can I ask you, how serious is the situation now in the Black Sea?
00:30Are you facing a situation where Ukraine is no longer able to rely
00:34on its main maritime export corridor?
00:38Unfortunately, since the end of July, that's already for two months,
00:43the situation is really critical.
00:46We are not able to export agricultural commodities
00:49through our deep water ports of Odessa region.
00:53Why it is so critical?
00:56Just an example, in June 2026,
01:0090% of agricultural commodities were exported through this channel.
01:07That means that the biggest and the main channel of export logistics
01:12has been closed since the end of July.
01:17And what can Ukraine's partners do here?
01:20Is it about providing more protection in the Black Sea?
01:23Is it about opening alternative export routes, for example, for the Baltics?
01:28Or are you at a point where you say,
01:30actually, we need a broken deal with Russia?
01:34We are currently working with our partners, including the European ones,
01:40simultaneously on a few tracks.
01:43One of them is to develop EU solidarity lanes,
01:48that's alternative routes,
01:50through the new pre-wear,
01:51through railway connections inland,
01:54through tracks and so on.
01:56It's very important.
01:57It's very important.
01:58And so far,
01:59we have some progress.
02:01When we look at the September numbers,
02:04we can state that around 40-45% of export
02:10is done through these EU solidarity lanes of what we need.
02:14Definitely, we keep working on protection,
02:17because we do understand the best guarantee instrument
02:20is to have enough military forces,
02:23military power to protect this route
02:26from all of these rocket acres.
02:29That's complicated.
02:31It's a long-term strategy,
02:33but we keep working on it
02:34and developing new ways of protection.
02:37And also, it's important to keep geopolitics.
02:41So, our president was,
02:43as a United Nations Assembly,
02:45we are ready to create
02:47the safety conditions in the Black Sea
02:50for all of the civil goods,
02:52including Ukrainian agricultural commodities.
02:54We are open for it.
02:55And when it comes to a potential deal with Moscow,
02:59this has been done in the past.
03:02But do you think the conditions are there?
03:05Do you think Moscow could strike a reliable deal here?
03:10And what would be your red lines in such a deal?
03:15First of all,
03:16it should be internationally protected.
03:18In the previous years,
03:20we didn't sign any deal with Moscow.
03:23It was a deal between Ukraine
03:25and, for example,
03:26United Nations and Turkey.
03:28So, of course,
03:29we can rely only on the trust
03:32of our international partners.
03:33That's why, first of all,
03:34we are talking with our international partners
03:37as possible mediators.
03:38Of course,
03:40as the situation shows
03:41of these years of full-scale invasion,
03:44we can never trust.
03:45So, even if it happens,
03:47we still have to develop
03:48our military power,
03:50protection mechanism,
03:51and keep vital or alive
03:54all of the alternative rules.
03:56Because the reality is
03:58that we can never trust
03:59what's going to happen tomorrow
04:00after any kind of memorandum deal done.
04:03The risk, of course,
04:05is that we have big harvests
04:07within Ukraine,
04:08and we know Ukraine
04:08is a major agricultural producer,
04:11but then that Ukraine
04:12cannot get this product to markets.
04:14Are you getting some support
04:16from your EU partners here?
04:18For example,
04:18I know you're pushing
04:19for increased quotas
04:21to sell your products
04:22into European markets.
04:24How are those negotiations going?
04:26Indeed,
04:27if the situation is like these days,
04:30we will not be able to export
04:33around 35 million dollars
04:36of agricultural commodities.
04:37That's a huge amount.
04:38One of the ways
04:39is to process them
04:42as much as possible
04:43inside of the country,
04:44and then export different products.
04:47That's why we have issued
04:50the kind request
04:51to the European Commission
04:53on the products
04:55for which the market
04:57on the European Union
04:57is deficit this year
04:59due to droughts and others,
05:00really to provide us temporarily
05:02one year additional market access
05:05to be able to compete
05:07with other said countries
05:08with these products.
05:09This could create
05:10for us a possibility
05:11to process more agricultural commodities
05:15inside of Ukraine,
05:16and then export these products,
05:17for example, by trucks.
05:19So this is the additional
05:19logistic capacity.
05:21Do you feel, Minister,
05:22that European politics
05:23is playing into this, though?
05:25Because we know
05:25major elections coming in Europe
05:27where agriculture policy
05:29and the complaints
05:31sometimes of European farmers
05:32will play a big role
05:33in talking about France,
05:34Poland, for example.
05:35Do you think that's playing
05:37to your disadvantage
05:38in these talks?
05:40So we are making these talks
05:43these days,
05:44so it's hard to make
05:46the final assessment
05:47what are the perspectives,
05:48but our idea is
05:50that there is none of the risks
05:52for the European farmers
05:54because the consumers need some products.
05:58Sometimes it's necessary to import
06:00because you can't not to feed your animals
06:03or not to produce your products.
06:04So our idea is to show
06:07that there is none of the additional pressure
06:10for European farmers.
06:11There's only Ukrainian possibilities
06:14to compete with other said countries
06:17without names on the European market.
06:20Minister, I want to ask you
06:21about the impact of all of this
06:23on food security,
06:24both within Ukraine
06:25but also outside
06:25because we know
06:26how important Ukraine is
06:28for the global markets.
06:29Do you fear food shortages,
06:31for example,
06:32going into this winter?
06:34So there are a few challenges
06:37in this respect.
06:38Basically,
06:40we have produced enough food
06:42inside of the country
06:43and actually Ukraine
06:44usually exports
06:45up to 70% of its production.
06:49so physically
06:51the food is available.
06:52What's the problem?
06:53We have constant attacks
06:55on the storage capacities.
06:57So we really have to take
06:59how to protect,
07:01save these products
07:02and also,
07:04of course,
07:05for this savings
07:05and for storage
07:06we need sustainable electricity
07:09and energy supply.
07:10So also how to create
07:12the conditions
07:13that we can really create
07:16the necessary conditions
07:17for storage of these products.
07:18so physically it's enough
07:20but the overall situation
07:21is still challenging
07:22how to create
07:24the preconditions
07:25that this food
07:26is saved
07:27and is able
07:29to be transported
07:30to the final consumers.
07:32And you mentioned recently
07:33that in fact
07:3490% of Ukraine's
07:36modern storage facilities
07:38in some regions
07:39of the country
07:39have been destroyed
07:41by Russian strikes.
07:43What kind of impact
07:45is that having
07:46on the security
07:48of supply
07:49within the country?
07:50All of such damages
07:51first of all
07:52increase the cost
07:54of food supply.
07:56So we see
07:57that the prices
07:58have increased
07:59because in such conditions
08:01when we have
08:02limited storage capacities
08:03basic foods
08:05have to be transported
08:06directly from the production
08:08site
08:08to the supermarket.
08:09that means
08:10much more
08:11logistic costs
08:13labour costs
08:14fuel costs
08:15that means
08:16higher prices
08:17for the consumers.
08:18So first of all
08:18it is a negative
08:20effect
08:21on the consumers
08:22which
08:23who
08:24have the stable
08:25incomes
08:26of the incomes
08:27haven't grown
08:27but they really
08:28have now to pay
08:29more
08:29for the same food
08:30before
08:31due to these
08:33storages attacks.
08:33And do you think
08:35that impact
08:36on pricing
08:37for consumers
08:38could be felt
08:39beyond Ukraine's
08:41borders as well
08:41if this crisis
08:42persists
08:43in the Black Sea?
08:44Actually
08:45it's already happening
08:46we can already
08:47see that
08:48on average
08:50the grain prices
08:51have increased
08:52by 25%
08:53and the FAO
08:55Global Food Index
08:56proves this information
08:58and this is a lot
09:0025%
09:01it means
09:03if you
09:03multiply it
09:04for the overall
09:06grain and food
09:07consumption
09:08out of grain
09:09within a year
09:11it could be
09:11even up to
09:1260 billion
09:13US dollars
09:14additional
09:14costs
09:15of all of the
09:16consumers
09:17through the wealth
09:18especially
09:19it's very
09:20critical
09:20for import
09:22countries
09:23like lots
09:24of in the
09:24Africa
09:25Southeast Asia
09:26which really
09:26depend on
09:27the import
09:27of food
09:28and the
09:28poorest people
09:30then are going
09:31to afford
09:32less
09:33consumers
09:33the price
09:34increase
09:35is already
09:35happening
09:36Finally
09:37Minister
09:37just a final
09:38question
09:38we see that
09:40Russia is really
09:41stepping up
09:42its strikes
09:43on Ukraine
09:44the winter
09:45is coming
09:45we've talked
09:46about a lot
09:46of these
09:47challenges
09:48how fearful
09:50are you now
09:51both for
09:52Ukrainian farmers
09:53in terms of
09:54the impact
09:54on them
09:55but also
09:56broader
09:57for the
09:57country
09:58going into
09:59this winter
10:00are you prepared
10:01or do you fear
10:03big repercussions
10:05of course
10:06during all
10:07of this
10:07almost five
10:08years
10:08of full
10:08scale
10:09invasion
10:09we have
10:09been
10:10constantly
10:10preparing
10:10Ukrainians
10:12are resilient
10:12but it's
10:13very hard
10:13of course
10:14the level
10:15of risks
10:16currently
10:17is the biggest
10:18since the
10:19beginning
10:19of the full
10:19scale
10:19invasion
10:20and
10:21it's very
10:22hard
10:22really
10:22to prepare
10:23just for
10:24everything
10:24so
10:25first of all
10:26the focus
10:26is
10:27on
10:28military
10:28air defense
10:29systems
10:30it's very
10:31critical
10:31to have
10:32enough
10:33of military
10:33air defense
10:34system
10:34to save
10:35all of
10:35this
10:36infrastructure
10:36and you're
10:37confident
10:37that the
10:37funding
10:38will come
10:38for those
10:38needs
10:39as well
10:39so far
10:40the funding
10:41arrives
10:42also
10:43we are
10:43central for
10:43our partners
10:44we do
10:44receive
10:45the fundings
10:46time
10:46is
10:47urgent
10:47that's why
10:48we are
10:49asking
10:49and making
10:50everything
10:50possible
10:51to receive
10:51as much
10:52funding
10:52also
10:53in advance
10:53really
10:54to prepare
10:54for this
10:55winter
10:55okay
10:56minister
10:56thank you
10:57so much
10:57for joining
10:58us
10:58thank you
10:59for this
10:59talk
