Bulgaria on Thursday decided to drop a ban on Ukrainian grain imports, as one of the five eastern European Union nations included in the restrictions set to expire this week.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has closed off Black Sea shipping routes used before the war, resulting in the EU becoming a major transit route and export destination for Ukrainian grain.
But in June, the EU agreed to restrict Ukrainian grain imports to five member states, seeking to protect their farmers who blamed the imports for a slump in prices on local markets.
The five member states are Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
Bulgaria's Parliament voted 124-69 on Thursday for a resolution to end the ban, citing "solidarity with Ukraine" and the need to "guarantee food security on a global scale."
Ukrainian officials welcomed the decision.
"Bulgaria sets an example of true solidarity," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Polish government decided Tuesday to extend the ban, which expires on Friday.
Hungary and Slovakia have both said they would do the same if Brussels decided not to extend the restrictions.
Romania indicated it would follow Brussels' decision.
Bulgaria stands out from its regional neighbors because it has many sunflower oil producers who have complained of a serious shortage of seeds and high prices since the embargo was put in place.
Pro-EU Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said Wednesday that lifting the ban was necessary to "stimulate competition in the market" to stem inflation.
Sofia will also ask Brussels for aid "to improve its road and rail infrastructure with a view to the faster transport of Ukrainian goods to third countries."
Restrictions imposed by the EU in May allowed Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to ban domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower seeds while permitting the transit of such cargoes for export elsewhere.
The restrictions, designed to ease excess supply, are due to expire on Friday.
Before Russia's war in Ukraine, Eastern European countries were not among the leading importers of Ukrainian grain, but the export of Ukrainian grains and oilseeds to Poland and Romania rose sharply last year, Ukrainian customs data showed.
Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of grain and seed oil.
Since July, when Moscow abandoned the Black Sea grain deal brokered by the U.N. and Türkiye, the exports of grain from the Ukrainian river ports were hindered as they were repeatedly struck.
Nearly 33 million tons of Ukrainian grain was exported while the Black Sea deal was operational.
As Ankara extended its efforts to revive the landmark grain deal while also calling the West to consider Russian demands, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced Wednesday he would next week hold meetings on the matter with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
''I am determined to do everything possible to reestablish the Black Sea Grain Initiative,'' Guterres told reporters.