Ukraine said on Monday it hopes to resume its first grain exports since the war “as early as this week” after signing an agreement with Moscow and despite the Russian army’s shelling of the main port of Odessa on Saturday.
According to him, the main obstacle to the resumption of exports is the risk of Russian bombing, as illustrated by the attack that targeted the vital Black Sea port of Odessa on Saturday.
Kubrakov asked the guarantors of the agreement, Turkey and the UN, to guarantee the safety of the Ukrainian convoys. “If the parties don’t guarantee security, it won’t work,” he warned.
25 million tons
Exports are also hampered by the presence of sea mines, laid out by Ukrainian forces to protect against a Russian amphibious assault. According to the minister, demining will only be carried out “in the corridor necessary for exports.”
Ukrainian ships will accompany the convoys, which will be able to transport not only grains, but also fertilizers, he added.
The Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, Iouri Vaskov, specified that the port of Tchornomorsk (sud-ouest) will be the first to function for exports, he said to Celui d’Odessa (sud), puis par Celui de Pivdenny (sud -West).
Ukraine’s grain exports, of which up to 25 million tonnes have stalled in the country since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, are crucial to global food security.
Source: BFM TV
