A worker prepares grain to sow on a field on a private farm in Zhurivka, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Aug 10, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

KIEV / WARSAW - Ukraine reserves the right to turn to the World Trade Organization (WTO) if Poland extends a ban on grain imports from Ukraine, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday.

Ukraine is fulfilling its obligations under both the Association Agreement with the European Union and the WTO legislation, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said, noting that Ukraine has no intention of harming Polish farmers

"In case of violation of trade law in the interest of political populism before the elections, Ukraine will be forced to turn to WTO arbitration to obtain compensation for violation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) norms," Shmyhal wrote on the social media X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Ukraine is fulfilling its obligations under both the Association Agreement with the European Union and the WTO legislation, Shmyhal said, noting that Ukraine has no intention of harming Polish farmers.

Earlier in the day, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his country will extend a ban on grain imports from Ukraine regardless of the EU's decision on the issue.

The Polish government "calls on the European Commission to extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine after Sept 15, 2023. Otherwise, Poland will independently introduce such a ban at the national level," according to a statement from the prime minister's office. 

Such ban concerns the imports of four agricultural products: wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, it said.

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"The Polish government does not accept a situation in which the Polish market is destabilized by Ukrainian grain," the prime minister's office said. 

In May, the European Commission imposed a ban on grain exports from Ukraine to five European countries. The restrictions are due to expire on Sept 15.

Last month, Polish Agriculture Minister Robert Telus said that his country together with Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary supports extending the ban until the end of the year.