Politico: Putin won a war he did not start

Politico newspaper considered that the wheat war between Poland and Ukraine favored Russian President Vladimir Putin, although he did not raise it, but it highlighted Russia's strength as the largest producer and exporter of grains in the world.

The newspaper wrote: “The only winner in the trade war between the Polish and Ukrainian allies is President Putin, who highlights Russia’s strength as the world’s largest grain exporter.”

It was reported that due to the tense situation on the border between Ukraine and Poland, Kiev began accusing Warsaw of besieging Ukrainian grain and allowing the free entry of Russian goods worth millions of euros.

For his part, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk tried to blame Russia for the problems of Polish and European farmers, calling for a ban on Russian grain imports at the European Union level.

The newspaper added: "There is no evidence to support Tusk's assertions that the cause of Polish farmers' problems is due to Russian or even Ukrainian imports."

She also pointed out that another European country, Latvia, tried last January to impose a ban on the import of agricultural products into the European Union, but failed because other countries in the Union announced that this would cost them a lot.

She stated that Western sanctions do not include Russian foodstuffs, unlike energy and a number of other products, noting that countries in the European Union such as Spain and Italy are still among the main importers of Russian grains.

Since last February, Poland has witnessed widespread protests by farmers who are blocking roads and checkpoints on the border with Ukraine, demanding to stop importing agricultural products from Ukraine and abandon the European Union's environmental plans.

Germany, France, Belgium and other European Union countries are also witnessing widespread protests by farmers against the backdrop of the rise in fuel and large fertilizer prices after the sanctions against Russia, and the flooding of their markets with Ukrainian grains that Russia prevents from exporting via the Black Sea, so that they head to Europe by land and drown the prices there.