Ukraine and Romania sign deal to cooperate on grain exports

Ukraine and neighboring Romania signed an agreement Friday to work together to boost Kyiv’s export of grain through Romania after Moscow broke off a key wartime shipping agreement that allowed safe passage through the Black Sea.

The accord was signed during a trip by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to the Romanian capital, Bucharest, for talks with his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu.

Ciolacu told a news conference after the meeting that he hopes Romania can transport more than 60% of Ukraine’s grain exports.

He also noted the “ambitious” target to double the transport of Ukrainian grain through Romania that was set last week during a meeting that included Western and Ukrainian officials in Romania’s Danube River town of Galati. Romania intends to double the amount from 2 million to 4 million tons per month, but Ciolacu did not specify a timeframe for the increase.

The Romanian leader added that the Black Sea port of Constanta will remain a key transport route for getting Ukraine’s goods to the international market. The Sulina Channel, an arm of the Danube River on what is Europe’s second-longest river and a key transport route, will also play a role.

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