(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Ukrainian officials are working with European partners to set up new export paths as Russian military strikes increasingly target the country’s main seaports. The talks aim to keep goods moving to global markets despite the temporary halt in vessel traffic caused by attacks on civilian port infrastructure, trade ships and crew members.
Representatives from Ukraine, the European Commission, Moldova and Romania met to speed up work on the Solidarity Lanes and to improve the capacity of Danube region ports. The Ukrainian delegation included officials from the Ministry for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport, the Ministry of Economy, the Sea Ports Authority and Ukrainian Railways. The meeting was called after the latest large scale bombardments forced a pause in ship arrivals at Ukrainian ports.
Talks centred on finding practical ways to raise the throughput of the Danube logistics route and developing ports in Ukraine, Romania and Moldova. The sides also looked at how to remove infrastructure and administrative bottlenecks on key transport corridors. Main areas of focus included increasing Danube port capacity, upgrading rail, road and border infrastructure, and cutting the time needed for customs and border checks.
Better coordination between transport, customs and border agencies was also discussed, along with expanding transit options for Ukrainian farm goods and other exports, and securing European funding to modernise infrastructure within the Solidarity Lanes and the TEN-T network.
Andrii Kashuba, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister for Restoration, Infrastructure and Transport, said the country is working every day to strengthen protection for port infrastructure and the Ukrainian sea corridor so that civilian shipping can continue even under constant Russian attacks.
The ports of Greater Odesa handle roughly 90 percent of Ukraine’s agricultural exports, which reach more than 55 countries. Stability of both sea and land logistics routes therefore matters not only for Ukraine’s economy but also for world food markets.
Since the start of 2026, Ukrainian seaports have processed 46 million tonnes of cargo. Of this, 42.2 million tonnes moved through the Greater Odesa ports, while Danube region ports handled 3.8 million tonnes. The total cargo value has not been officially disclosed, but based on average grain export prices the volume handled by Greater Odesa ports so far this year can be estimated at roughly $8.4 billion (£6.6 billion/€7.7 billion), with Danube port cargo adding around $760 million (£600 million/€700 million). These figures are indicative and depend on commodity mix and market prices.