Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky asked Romania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to allow the transit of Ukrainian grain shipments to other markets at an EU summit in Brussels on Friday, October 16, according to Hungarian PM Peter Magyar.
"Zelensky asked Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and all neighboring countries to allow transit, as they did three or four years ago, at the beginning of the war," Magyar said, cited by Profit.ro.
Ukraine is among the world's largest producers of wheat, corn and sunflower seeds, and approximately 90% of exports of these products are usually transported through the Black Sea. Russia's campaign of attacks has, however, almost completely paralyzed agricultural shipments from Ukrainian ports.
The Hungarian prime minister said the Ukrainian president had explained to him during a bilateral meeting that transporting corn in sealed trains to Western Europe would provide significant support for Ukraine's economy.
Magyar, who agreed to relaunch bilateral relations with Ukraine the same day, said in a follow-up interview that Hungary would not oppose Ukrainian grain shipments, provided they transit through the country's territory without being sold on the local market.
Kyiv's request comes as drought and extreme temperatures severely affected the European Union's corn production.
The European Commission estimated at the end of August that the EU's corn harvest would fall to 50.1 million tons this year, the lowest level in almost two decades and approximately 20% below the average of the past three years. Farmers in France and Hungary are among those most affected by extreme weather conditions, which have damaged a significant proportion of corn crops.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have expanded attacks on key sources of revenue, with Ukrainian forces targeting Russian energy infrastructure, including oil tankers, while Russia has intensified attacks on Black Sea ports.
In April, Nikolai Patrushev, an adviser to Russian president Vladimir Putin and chairman of the Maritime Board, said that Romania had become a central hub for NATO's hostile operations against Russia in the Black Sea.
"The Alliance continues to create anti-Russian infrastructure in the Black Sea direction, using Romania as a base," Patrushev said.
He claimed that the main risks in the region were generated by Ukraine, which he accused of mining the area and using maritime drones to control naval traffic. According to his statements, mines that had broken loose from the area around Ukrainian ports had reached waters near the coasts of Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania.
Earlier this month, Romania took steps to amend the rules governing the acceptance of freight trains at railway stations serving the Port of Constanta in a bid to streamline exports of Romanian grain.