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19
December
2022

Railway and road transit of Ukrainian goods through Belarus impossible due to security risks – Kachka

KYIV. Dec 19 (Interfax-Ukraine) – There are currently no objective chances for organizing the transit of Ukrainian goods through Belarus due to security risks, today’s visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Belarus confirms this once again, said Deputy Economy Minister – Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka.

"Such an idea was once worked out, but it is obvious that in the current conditions it is unrealistic in terms of security risks," he said at the discussion on how the Ukrainian economy survived 2022 organized by the Center for Economic Strategy.

On December 9, following a meeting between UN Secretary General António Guterres and Deputy Foreign Minister of Belarus Yury Ambrazevich, the UN announced that Belarus would agree without preconditions to the transit of Ukrainian grain through its territory for export from the ports of the Baltic countries.

"Rail and road transit to the Baltic ports cannot be taken seriously because of the security situation," Kachka stressed.

He noted that at present there are "two pillars" for Ukraine, on which plans are built to expand Ukrainian exports: the unblocking of the Black Sea ports, including Mykolaiv, and the development of infrastructure in the west of Ukraine, in which IFIs, primarily the EBRD, are ready to help businesses, and fund projects on both sides of the border.

The trade representative of Ukraine said the country has freedom of trade with infrastructural restrictions on the western border and no freedom of navigation for any other cargo, except for grain.

"Freedom of navigation, freedom of transport is what we are striving for. The situation when they have to agree on security guarantees along this or that route is nonsense, an example of how wars get into trade," Kachka said.