Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday he had “discussed ways to ensure the operation” of the grain export corridor through Kiev in the Black Sea with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to ensure safe navigation.
“We discussed ways to ensure the functioning of the grain corridor and strengthen the security of the Odessa region,” Zelensky said in southwestern Ukraine on X, formerly Twitter, after a phone call with Macron.
I had a focused conversation with @Emmanuel Macron.
I thanked France for its support, including crucial military aid. We discussed the following packages.
We have agreed that France and French companies will participate in the upcoming Ukrainian Defense Industry Forum.
We also talked about ways to…
– Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 3, 2023
The dialogue between the two heads of state took place on the eve of a meeting in Russia between Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seeking to revive the grain deal.
Erdogan will meet with Putin on Monday in Sochi, a Russian resort on the Black Sea.
Russian troops returned last night to bomb the Odessa region with ‘drones’.
This week, Ukraine said four more ships passed through the maritime corridor, which was temporarily established last month as an alternative to Moscow’s suspension of July participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which also involved Kiev, Ankara and the United Nations.
This agreement allowed maritime traffic from the southern ports of Ukraine, which were blocked by the Russian fleet in the region.
At the time it suspended its participation in the agreement, Moscow conceded that it would return to an agreement if it agreed to reintegrate its agricultural bank, Rosselkhozbank, into the SWIFT international banking system, lift sanctions on agricultural machinery spare parts, consider unblocking it. of the logistics of transportation and insurance and the release of assets.
The Russian side also demanded that the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline be restarted for the export of ammonia, an essential component of fertilizers.
Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s largest grain producers and global supply was seriously affected by the war between the two countries in February last year, affecting food security in the most vulnerable countries and escalating commodity prices.
In today’s phone call, Zelensky also thanked Macron for the “crucial military assistance” France has provided to his country and said the two rulers were “discussing the next steps” to be taken on the matter.
The military offensive that Russia launched in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II (1939-1945), according to the latest UN data.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – has been condemned by the international community at large, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and to impose on Russia from the political and political side. economic sanctions.
Source: DN
