Ukraine expects to resume its first grain exports since the start of the Russian invasion “as early as this week”, following the signing of the Istanbul accord by Kyiv and Moscow and despite Saturday’s shelling of the port of Odesa by the Russian military.
“We expect that the agreement will start to be implemented in the coming days and we anticipate that a coordination center will be established in Istanbul in the coming days. We are preparing everything to start as early as this week,” Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said during press conference.
The Ukrainian minister called on the guarantors of the Istanbul agreement, the UN and Turkey, to guarantee the safety of Ukrainian cargoes. “If the sides don’t guarantee security, it won’t work,” he warned.
Exports are hampered by the presence of sea mines, which have been laid by Ukrainian forces to impede amphibious operations by the Russian military. According to the Ukrainian minister, demining will not take place “only in the sea corridor that will be necessary for exports”.
Ukrainian ships will accompany the phalanxes, which will transport not only grain, but also fertilizers, he clarified.
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Yury Vaskov explained that the port of Chornomorsk (southwest Ukraine) will be the first from which exports will take place, followed by Odessa and Pivdeni.
“During the next two weeks we will be technically ready to carry out grain exports from Ukrainian ports,” he said.
Ukraine’s grain exports, of which up to 25 million tonnes have been stranded in the country since the start of the Russian offensive on February 24, are critical to global food security.
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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