Hungary will protect the interests of Hungarian farmers by any means and at all costs, even if the European Union does not extend the EU ban on imports of Ukrainian grain after Sept. 15, Hungarian Agriculture Minister István Nagy said in Brussels on Tuesday.

“We must insist that the measure be maintained, as we cannot allow Hungarian reservoirs to be refilled with Ukrainian stocks,” he stressed.

“The measure must be extended until after the harvest to make room for our own harvest. If no Ukrainian grain arrives in the country, there will be room for Hungarian crops,” Nagy said.