Transit of Ukrainian grain through Belarus is possible only after the change of power in the country

Transit through Belarus would actually expand opportunities for grain exports from Ukraine. But today it is impossible – both from a political and an economic point of view.

This opinion was expressed by People’s Deputy of Ukraine, secretary of the Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy Ivan Chaikivskyi, writes Latifundist.

Railway routes to the big Lithuanian Baltic ports — in Klaipėda and Butinga — run through Belarus. In the conditions of the limited capacity of the sea “grain corridor” due to unjustified delays on the part of the russian side, transit through Belarus would really expand the possibilities of exporting grain from Ukraine.

“Actually, it is very difficult for us to believe the words of the official of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who assures the UN leaders that there are no obstacles for the transit of Ukrainian grain through Belarus. And after some time we hear about the movement of russian military equipment through the territory of this country. What kind of transit can we talk about in this situation?”, says Ivan Chaikivskyi.

In his opinion, the statements of the Belarusian side are aimed not so much at promoting the export of Ukrainian grain, but at softening the international economic sanctions imposed on the country for the assistance of russian federation.

“Belarus is an accomplice of russia and a participant in full-scale military aggression. Therefore, at this stage, any cooperation between Ukraine and Minsk is excluded, and easing of the imposed sanctions is unacceptable. I do not rule out that in the future Belarus will once again become a strategic partner of Ukraine, as before the war, when the trade turnover between our countries exceeded $6 billion. But first, the government in Belarus must change, and the country must choose a democratic path of development,” said the People’s Deputy.

According to Ivan Tchaikovsky, the only real option is the organization of an international land corridor similar to the sea corridor, which is also unlikely, given the limited carrying capacity of Belarusian railways.

“The only real advantage of transit through Belarus is the absence of the need to transship grain at the entrance to Lithuania, since the width of the railway track is the same throughout the entire length from Ukraine to the Baltic – 1,520 mm. But this is definitely not a reason to give in to national interests and cooperate with the manual of russian federation,” the expert summarized.