Zelenskyy: Ukraine starts grain exports, but ensuring their security is up to its partners
UKRAINSKA PRAVDA – MONDAY, 25 JULY 2022, 19:25
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine has done everything in its power to start the grain exports and asserted that Turkey and the UN ought to ensure that the Russian Federation complies with the conditions of the [grain export] agreement.
Source: Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference with Alejandro Giammattei, President of Guatemala
Quote from Zelenskyy: "I believe that we will definitely start the export process to once again prove to the whole world that it is not Ukraine that is blocking the exports... As for the security [of the grain exports - ed.], it’s for the partner countries to see."
Details: Zelenskyy stressed that Russia was the country to immediately violate the agreement when its forces attacked the Odesa seaport – after the grain export agreement had been signed in Istanbul. Ukraine, on the other hand, has made all the necessary preparations to start the grain export process.
Quote from Zelenskyy: "We have done everything [that needed to be done], we have prepared everything [that had to be prepared]. We have guaranteed a corridor [i.e., a safe naval route for the grain export - ed.]. Everything in our waters must be controlled by Ukraine. Only Ukraine will carry out checks in our waters… The rest is the remit of the United Nations and Turkey – to the extent that they can control the Russian Federation, which has already demonstrated that it will launch missiles despite any agreements."
Background:
- An agreement to lift the blockade of Ukrainian ports for the export of Ukrainian grain was signed in Istanbul on Friday, 22 July.
- On 23 July, Russian forces hit the Odesa seaport with missiles: two missiles were shot down by the air defence forces, and another two hit the port’s infrastructure facilities.
- The Chornomorsk port in Odesa may be the first to resume its operations as part of the lifting of the blockade. The first ship may be able to leave the port via the safe corridor within four days.
- The lifting of the blockade of three Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea might increase Ukraine’s export revenue by $1 billion per month. The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine estimates that up to 3 million tonnes of agricultural products could be exported every month via the three ports.
