BUDAPEST, September 15. /TASS/. Grain shipments from Ukraine are being controlled by the US, while European leaders are being guided by American, not European interests on this issue, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on the Kossuth radio station.
He confirmed that Hungary will keep the ban on imports of Ukrainian grain in effect unilaterally, if the European Commission fails to prolong the ban for grain shipments to five Central European countries that expires on September 15.
"As of now, the Brussels bureaucrats have no intention of prolonging it and, if they fail do it before midnight, then we will unite efforts with several countries - Romania, Poland, Slovakia - in order to prolong the import ban on a national basis, which will be a serious fight with Brussels," the Prime Minister said.
Orban added that such battles are fought every day, because the EU leadership has no desire to stand by European countries and prefers to be guided by American interests. In his opinion, Ukrainian grain is actually "a commercial product originating from a territory, which, possibly, has long been in the US’ hands."
"This opens up a new dimension in the discussion on Ukraine, namely: who wins and who loses by this war. Undoubtedly, America wins and Europe loses," Orban underscored.
"We were tricked about the Ukrainian grain and poor African children do not see an ounce of bread," the Prime Minister added, noting that Ukrainian agricultural products fail to reach traditional markets in Asia and Africa, instead staying in Europe.
In April, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia banned the import of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine. Later, they canceled these measures in exchange for the European Commission’s decision to impose a ban on imports of wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds from Ukraine, until June 5 and, later until September 15. In July, the five Central European countries jointly asked the European Commission to prolong the import ban until the end of this year, pointing out that the grain must be delivered to traditional markets in Asia and Africa. In August, Hungary warned that if this is not done, it will not only maintain the grain embargo, but will also expand it to include over 20 more types of Ukrainian agricultural products.