MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. Ukraine is engaged in talks with European nations on transporting agricultural products through their territories and using their port infrastructure to compensate for the shutdown of its Black Sea ports, acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrey Sibiga stated.

"This is a challenge for our economy. <...> We have stepped up the European Union's Solidarity Lanes program. We are currently conducting discussions with all our neighbors, with countries close to us, <...> in order to expand the infrastructure and create the necessary conditions to help Ukraine transport grain to third-country markets. This concerns transit through these countries, as was done in 2022 via land corridors," Sibiga said, as quoted by the Novosti.Live news outlet.

He explained that negotiations are underway with Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Since July 22, the ports of Greater Odessa -- Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny -- have neither received nor sent out a single foreign cargo vessel. The downtime at the Black Sea ports has coincided with the peak of the harvest season.

Ukrainian agricultural producers are currently exporting goods via the Danube ports of Izmail, Reni, and Ust-Dunaisk, the Romanian port of Constanta, and by road and rail to the country's western border. According to Ukrainian Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky, these routes are only a temporary measure and cannot serve as a long-term alternative to Greater Odessa ports. Furthermore, they raise shipping costs by $45-50 per ton.

The situation for farmers is further exacerbated by rising diesel prices and a 30% hike in cargo freight tariffs announced by the national railway operator. As a result, grain revenues for many farms do not cover production costs.