Deputy Economy Minister Taras Kachka threatened European Union leaders that there will be consequences to pay if they fail to extend Ukraine’s duty-free access to the European market. The European agriculture sector in particular has been punished by this trade deal as they cannot compete with Ukraine’s lower priced goods. Kachka warned that the nations already feeling the economic burden of this unfair trade deal will face the “least pleasant” consequences.
“The lack of progress on revising the trade agreement will force us to take steps to equalize the trade balance. And unfortunately, those decisions will be the least pleasant for the countries that are now politically slowing down the negotiations on free trade,” Kachka said.
Perhaps Slovakia’s Fico was correct in stating that Zelensky lurks around Europe, blackmailing nations and begging for funding. US Vice President JD Vance asked Zelensky if he ever said, “Thank you,” as his nation repeatedly begs for MORE without expressing the slightest gratitude. Brussels prioritizes Ukraine over its own member nations and heeds to its every demand. Clearly, Ukraine has no consideration for their allied nations who have provided them with endless funding and frankly prevented Russia from a swift victory.
“We work only on a positive agenda with the EU. And I hope we will integrate Ukraine into the EU internal market ASAP,” Kachka said. Was it positive when Ukraine failed to renew the energy deal that Slovakia and Hungary desperately needed? Ukraine refuses to permit Russian oil to pass through to provide these nations with the essential energy they need to function.
This unbalanced trade deal has hurt Europe’s agricultural sector. Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Germany have ALL experienced massive farmer protests as cheap Ukrainian imports have severely undercut them. Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia have opposed lifting trade restrictions, and for that reason, Ukrainian officials have said that they would experience the most significant consequences.
Ukraine forgets that it needs Europe far more than Europe needs Ukraine. The EU is Ukraine’s largest trade partner, accounting for around 60% of total exports. Kiev purchased $35.7 billion in goods from the EU last year, resulting in a $10 billion trade surplus. Kachka believes the EU has far more to lose than Ukraine due to this surplus. Who else would purchase Ukrainian goods if the EU backed away? Let us not forget the West is supporting Ukraine’s entire public sector right now.
It is questionable why Brussels permits this abusive relationship to continue. Brussels does not care about democracy. It actively punishes member states that refuse to comply with its mandates—whether it be Hungary, Poland, or any other country that dares to put its own citizens first. Ukraine, despite being one of the most corrupt nations in Europe, is treated as a priority because it serves as a tool to justify greater authoritarian control. Ukraine wants to enjoy NATO benefits without becoming a paying member the same way it wishes to enjoy trade within the EU. No one would permit the nation into either alliance before the war began due to rampant corruption, but now everyone must bend the knee to Ukraine as it holds the neocon’s magic passageway into resource-rich Russia.
