Declaration of the Trilateral Meeting of Lithuanian, Polish, and Ukrainian Parliamentary Delegations on managing after-effects on agricultural sector caused by russia’s war in Ukraine signed in Warsaw

Press release, 25 June 2024 

Viktoras Pranckietis, Chair of the Committee on Rural Affairs, and Kazys Starkevičius, Chair of the Committee on Economics of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, participated in a trilateral meeting of representatives of the Lithuanian, Polish, and Ukrainian Parliaments and agricultural organisations in Warsaw on 24 June 2024 and signed a Declaration calling on the European Union institutions and Member States to initiate a ban on the import of agricultural products originating from russia and belarus and to consider implementing a ban on the transit of such products through the territory of the European Union.

The Declaration also proposes implementing an intervention system to purchase surplus grain during periods of unfavourable market prices in order to stabilise grain prices, safeguard the income of grain growers, and meet the objectives of the World Food Programme. 

The participating parties were unanimous in their support for the Declaration’s aim to help Ukraine rebuild its pre-war market positions, and, in the backdrop of recent concerns about unfair trade between the countries, agreed to make every effort to prevent any potential instances of such practices in the future.

On 14 May 2024, a trilateral meeting in Kyiv agreed to supplement the Declaration by an additional clause urging the European Union institutions and Member States to restrict russian agricultural producers’ access to advanced global technology and equipment. In the Warsaw meeting, the Declaration was supplemented by a plea to condemn russia for exporting illegally appropriated grain produced and stored in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Thanking his Polish counterparts for the meeting held as a follow-up to the Lithuanian initiative, Mr Pranckietis said that all parties to the meeting were striving for peace in every way they could. ‘When we consider the future of the Lublin Triangle format, we also need to think about a European Union that includes Ukraine. When we debate the EU’s common agricultural policy after 2027, we hope that Ukraine will be a part of it by then. Looking ahead to 2050, food demand is expected to increase by at least 30%. This means that Ukraine will not need to seek out markets; instead, the markets will be seeking out Ukraine. Peace will come, but it must be created through communication and cooperation between all of us. Therefore, this meeting provides an excellent platform for dialogue, which must continue in the future, focusing on Ukraine’s European integration and the associated challenges, the EU’s common agricultural policy after 2027, and other matters on the agenda,’ the Chair of the Seimas Committee on Rural Affairs said.

‘Signing this Declaration is a chance to draw the world’s attention to the threat posed by russia. In the past, Ukrainian grain, rather than the Ukrainian grain stolen by russia, was often blamed for causing global problems. However, these perceptions are changing. Politicians and farmers of our countries have also contributed to the changing attitudes on this issue,’ Mr Starkevičius said. 
The meeting, which marked the third gathering within the framework of the Lublin Triangle, included participation of the Chairs of the Lithuanian, Polish, and Ukrainian parliamentary committees on agriculture, the Chairs of the Seimas Committee on Economy, and representatives from various agricultural organisations. The first meeting was convened in Vilnius on 5 April 2024 and the second one took place in Kyiv on 14 May 2024.

Office of the Committee on Rural Affairs of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
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