Neighbors Ukraine and Romania sign accord to boost grain exports through Romanian territory – By Associated Press (PBS Newshour) / Aug 18, 2023
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — 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.
The two leaders discussed ways to ramp up the war-torn nation’s key grain exports, and improve infrastructure for transportation across river, rail, road, sea, including at border crossings. Ukraine’s economy is heavily dependent on farming, and its grain is crucial for world supplies of wheat, barley, and sunflower oil.
Ciolacu told a news conference after the meeting that he hopes Romania can transport more than 60 percent of Ukraine’s grain exports.
