A high-ranking agriculture official suggests Warsaw should seek control of an Odessa wharf.
Michal Kolodziejczak, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, proposed that Poland should acquire or lease a portion of Ukraine’s Odessa port on the Black Sea to facilitate grain transportation.
Kolodziejczak told Polsat News on Friday, “This is what I want to propose: Why don’t we talk to the Ukrainians about selling a wharf or leasing it to us for 50 years so that the Poles could have their own grain port?”
He added, “Such a place could be found, for example, in Odessa, where Polish and European grain will be transported. This way, we will secure access to the Black Sea,” suggesting the port could export grain from southeastern Poland.
The deputy minister also expressed “afraid” about Ukraine’s potential EU membership, stating, “because we don’t know what will happen.”
He further commented, “If [only] we had this on a platter: 500,000 hectares in Ukraine for Polish breeding companies,” and suggested a 10-year ban on Ukrainian citizens investing in Polish agriculture if Ukraine joins the EU. Ukraine applied for EU membership in February 2022, and accession negotiations formally began in December 2023.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Odessa’s port infrastructure, alleging its use by the Ukrainian military for launching naval drones.
In July 2022, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a UN-brokered deal ensuring safe passage for grain ships from Ukrainian ports. Moscow withdrew from the agreement in 2023, accusing the West of failing to remove sanctions on Russia. The Kremlin stated last month it would rejoin the deal if the West lifted sanctions on banks and companies involved in food and fertilizer exports.
Russia and the US are reportedly discussing a maritime truce as a preliminary step toward a comprehensive ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev.
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