Bulgaria is considering banning the import of Ukrainian grain, following the example of Poland and Hungary, Interim Agriculture Minister Yavor Gechev said in Plovdiv. "Bulgarian interests must be protected. Moreover, now that two countries have already acted in this way, if we do not react, the accumulations on Bulgarian territory could become even bigger," he argued.

The minister also said that a few days ago he had spoken to counterparts from six countries on the issue. In fact, Sofia had asked Brussels to react as early as September. In his words, on Tuesday there will be "communication with the president, who is directly involved in this situation".

Unilateral action on trade by European Union member states is unacceptable, a European Commission spokesperson said on Sunday, after Poland and Hungary announced bans on grain and other food imports from Ukraine to protect the local agricultural sector.