Ukraine May Begin Transporting Grain Through Moldova — Media Reports
11 August 19:15
According to Reuters, Ukraine may begin transporting grain by rail through Moldova. Authorities in Kyiv view this as a safer export option than shipping by sea and have asked Chisinau to lower transportation tariffs, the agency reports, citing sources in both countries, as reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
Ukraine has requested a 50 percent discount on grain transportation
Sources told Reuters that Kyiv would like to transport its grain through Moldova to the Romanian port of Constanta at a 50% discount from the standard rate.
“We are currently gathering information on potential volumes from interested shippers. The information-gathering process is not yet complete,” said a high-ranking industry representative in Ukraine.
A source at a Moldovan railway company noted that the Moldovan side had asked Kyiv to provide guarantees regarding the volumes of Ukrainian grain to be transported.
“Both sides are currently discussing the timing and volumes of Ukrainian grain transit through Moldova to the port of Constanța,” he added.
The corridor through Moldova could account for 10% of Ukrainian grain exports
According to estimates by Oleg Tofilat, former head of Moldovan Railways, the volume of grain transported by rail through Moldova could reach 4.5 million metric tons per year. Kyiv, in turn, estimates that this corridor could account for 10% of the country’s exports.
Watch us on YouTube: important topics – without censorship
On August 10 , Moldova’s Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Vladimir Bolya , visited the Odesa region and discussed improving rail connections and expanding transit with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mykola Kalashnyk.
Moldova had already facilitated the rail transport of Ukrainian grain in 2022–2023. The need to resume such transit arose due to attacks on the Odesa port complex by Russia, which continues to wage a full-scale war against Ukraine. In recent months, exports from Ukrainian ports via the Black Sea—including the “security corridor” leading to Romania—have faced increasingly frequent Russian attacks on Ukrainian shipping and port infrastructure.
Read us on Telegram: important topics – without censorship
