Ukraine Urges EU Sanctions on Bangladesh Over Grain Imports from Russian-Occupied Territories

 Ukraine Urges EU Sanctions on Bangladesh Over Grain Imports from Russian-Occupied Territories

Ukraine is preparing to urge the European Union to impose sanctions on Bangladeshi entities that are importing wheat from Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia. Ukrainian authorities have previously warned Bangladesh against engaging in trade involving goods originating from areas under Russian control.

Since 2014, Russian forces have occupied significant parts of Ukraine's southern agricultural region. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of stealing Ukrainian grain, a claim that predates Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukraine views these actions as illegal and considers any grain exports from these regions as looted goods. However, Russia denies any wrongdoing. Russian officials argue that the territories in question are no longer part of Ukraine and insist they are now permanently under Russian sovereignty, making any trade from those areas legitimate.

According to Ukrainian officials, grain shipments taken from occupied territories are being exported through Russian ports such as Kavkaz. The Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi has reportedly sent several diplomatic communications to Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting that it reject more than one shipment, each carrying around 50000 tonnes of grain. These shipments, Ukraine claims, involve grain that has been unlawfully seized and exported by Russia.

Despite Ukraine’s repeated attempts to engage with Bangladeshi officials on the issue, no response has been received from Dhaka. Ukraine’s ambassador to India, Oleksandr Polishchuk, has expressed concern over the silence and indicated that Ukraine is preparing to escalate the matter further. He confirmed that Kyiv will share the findings of its investigation with EU partners and request that appropriate punitive measures be taken against the Bangladeshi parties involved.

Polishchuk described the trade as a criminal act and emphasized Ukraine’s commitment to pursuing justice through diplomatic and legal channels with the support of the European Union.

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