CER, EIM, and Unife want to extend the initiative until the end of 2022 due to disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2022, Russian Railways was forced to respond promptly to the changes. During the year, loading in the direction of unfriendly countries fell by 37%, in the direction of friendly countries — increased by 23%, including by 28% — to China. This increased the demand for the Eastern Polygon.