Zelenskyy: We are not seeking Russia's interest in "grain agreement"
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasised that the position of Türkiye and the UN on the issue of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is important to Ukraine, but not that of Russia, which opposes its continuation under the current conditions.
Source: Zelenskyy at a press conference following a meeting [on 3 May] of Ukraine’s leadership and the Nordic countries, as reported by European Pravda.
Details: The president noted that he does not see Russia's interest in continuing the "grain initiative", adding that "this happens all the time".
Quote: "But we are not seeking Russia's interest. We are looking for the implementation of the agreement with our partners regarding the grain initiative. We have clear agreements with the UN Secretary-General [António] Guterres with Türkiye’s President Erdoğan," Zelenskyy added.
"Our agreements will continue. We plan to continue our initiative. They [Guterres and Erdoğan – ed.], for their part, are having a conversation with the Russian Federation. They should agree with them on the extension of this corridor, which is so necessary for other countries in the world," the president believes.
Background:
- The grain agreement was extended at the last minute before the expiry of the regular term on 18 March. However, Moscow soon said it had agreed to an extension of only 60 days (half the standard 120-day period) and threatened to terminate the agreement if its demands were not met.
- Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the situation with the Black Sea Grain Initiative has reached a dead end, and he blames the West for this.
Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
