Russia assured this Monday that the agreement for the export of Ukrainian grain cannot continue without its participation and said that it will not allow ships that have not been inspected by its experts to cross the Black Sea.
This was stated by its ambassador to the United Nations, Vasili Nebenzia, at a Security Council meeting convened by Moscow after the drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet and the subsequent decision to suspend the agreement it had sealed with Ukraine, the UN and Turkey to facilitate the exit of Ukrainian grain.
Nebenzia accused Ukraine of using this mechanism for military purposes and said that his country cannot allow the passage of ships that it has not inspected, so that you will have to take your own “control measures” if the traffic continues.
The confirmation of Nebenzia’s words came hours later with a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry that confirmed the suspension of circ ulation of ships through “the security corridor” in the Black Sea after a drone attack against its fleet in Crimea.
“Until the situation surrounding the terrorist action committed by Ukraine on October 29 against warships and civilian vessels in the city of Sevastopol, traffic through the security corridor of the ‘Black Sea Initiative’ is suspended”, says the official statement.
Defense underlines that Russia “does not withdraw” from the agreement, but suspends it. “The movement of ships along the security corridor is unacceptable, since the Ukrainian authorities and the Armed Forces of the country use it to carry out military operations against the Russian Federation,” adds the note that also points out that Moscow’s position was transmitted to the UN Secretary General and the Security Council.
Turkish intermediation
Nebenzia’s words come after the defense ministers of Russia, Sergei Shoigú, and Turkey, Hulusi Akar, discussed the agreement without reaching any new agreement .
“Issues related to the suspension by Russia of the implementation of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports were discussed”, indicates a brief statement from the Russian military department.
Shortly after, a statement from the Turkish Ministry of Defense reported that Akar had conveyed to his Russian counterpart the “great importance of continuing with the cereal initiative” to help mitigate the global food crisis.
Akar underlined that all problems can be solved with dialogue and cooperation and insisted that grain transports are a purely humanitarian activity that must be kept out of combat conditions, says the note from the Turkish ministry. He said he expects his colleague to “reevaluate” the decision to suspend the initiative.
Hours earlier, the Kremlin announced that the implementation of the grain export agreement from Ukrainian ports after the abandonment of Russia was risky and dangerous. “When Russia talks about the impossibility of guaranteeing the safety of navigation in these areas, such an agreement is unfeasible and takes on a much more risky, dangerous and unguaranteed character,” said Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. .
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