The Ukrainian president calls on the international community to put pressure on Moscow to restore the maritime corridor in the Black Sea, which until now allowed the country to export its cereals, in particular to Africa and Asia.
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Ukraine denounced this Sunday, October 30, grain exports that had become “impossible“because of the Russian blockade reinstated this weekend in the Black Sea. Moscow accuses kyiv of having taken this maritime corridor to attack, with drones, the port of Sevastopol in Crimea. The Ukrainian president affirms that 176 ships carrying more than two million tonnes of cereals are currently blocked.
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The agreement had however been concluded last July under the aegis of the United Nations and Turkey to release millions of tons of Ukrainian grain, stuck for months because of the Russian invasion. This return to square one is not really a surprise, according to the Ukrainian president, who claims that Moscow has started blocking ships carrying agricultural production since September.
The head of state calls on the international community to put pressure on Moscow to respect its obligations again. “Pressure must be exerted, particularly at the level of the G20. How can Russia be part of the G20 if it is deliberately working to starve several continents? That does not make sense. Russia no longer has a place in the G20.denounces the Ukrainian president. Por the time being, kyiv neither confirms nor denies the attack on Crimea.
“This is a transparent Russian intention to threaten Africa and Asia with large-scale famine”
Volodymyr Zelenskyat franceinfo
For its part, Turkey wants to retain its role as mediator and claims to be in contact with the Russian and Ukrainian parties to try to relaunch dialogue. According to the center overseeing the grain export deal, the “Joint Coordination Center” (JCC), sixteen ships are expected to use the humanitarian maritime corridor on Monday, October 31. Ukraine has agreed. The Russian delegation was informed of this according to the JCC.
This threat of a food crisis is seen as a new lever for Moscow to divert attention from these military setbacks. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba denounced this Sunday a “smoke screen“, before ironically on Twitter: “The behavior of the Russians is so predictable: if they commit a crime in the evening, expect them to offer talks in the morning“.