Zelenskyy: Whole world needs "grain corridor" to work

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a joint briefing with Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has said that the whole world has an interest in the "grain corridor" working for the export of Ukrainian grain, and therefore its functioning should not depend on Russia.

Source: video stream from the Office of the President of Ukraine

Quote from Zelenskyy: "The whole world has an interest in the ‘grain corridor’ working. It is very important that we start acting with our partners in such a way that the life of the ‘grain corridor’, and therefore the life of people on other continents, including Asia and Africa, does not depend on the mood in which the Russian president wakes up.

We have this ‘corridor’ today. It is not free, but structured and complex because Russia is blockading the Black Sea.

We cannot gather every time to think how the world's people will survive for the next two months and how to negotiate again. Therefore, it is very important that this ‘corridor’ does not depend on the will of one state."

Details: For his part, Erdoğan emphasised that Türkiye is making efforts to keep the "grain corridor" working after 17 July.

"Our wish is for the ‘grain deal’ to be extended not once every two months, but at least once every three months," the Türkiye’s president said.

Erdoğan added that Türkiye will try to extend the term of the "agreement" by two years, and will talk about it with Putin.

Background: On 4 July, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia said that it does not consider it possible to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative concluded last summer for the export of grain from Ukrainian ports.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!