Grain embargo and asset declarations: Ukraine's politics on 14 September 2023
A look back at two disputes, over Polish demands on Ukrainian grain imports and a petition on officials' asset declarations, that were live in the days around 14 September 2023.
What was pressing on Ukraine's politics on 14 September 2023? Two disputes, one with a neighbour and one at home, had both surfaced in the preceding days.
A call to extend the grain embargo
On 13 September 2023, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called on the European Union to extend an embargo on imports of Ukrainian corn, wheat, sunflower and rapeseed. The appeal, made during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, concerned four of the agricultural products at issue in the trade restrictions.
A petition over asset declarations
At home, the argument centred on legislation about asset declarations. On 8 September 2023, tens of thousands of Ukrainians signed a petition asking President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to veto the law. Critics believed it could make it harder to hold officials to account, because it delayed the requirement to declare their assets publicly.
The petition showed public concern over the accountability of officials, an issue the critics tied directly to the timing of the declaration requirement.
The wider backdrop
Both disputes unfolded while the war continued. On 8 September 2023, Russia said its air defence systems had shot down two Ukrainian drones that were attempting to attack a polling station in Skadovsk, Kherson Oblast, while voting was under way in Russia's elections.
