The Ukrainian government on Wednesday accused Moscow of preventing the implementation of the initiative to export grains and other agricultural products through the Black Sea.
In a joint statement Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov denounced that the process of inspection of ships loaded with Ukrainian products passing through the Bosphorus is being deliberately delayed by Russian representatives.
“Only half of the 10 planned inspections are carried out every day,” said the two Ukrainian ministers.
As a result, about 140 ships are lined up for inspection, the vast majority of them for more than a month, Kuleba and Kubrakov continued, stressing that “the food security of countries dependent on the export of Ukrainian agricultural products is under threat”.
The statement also stressed that by interfering in the operation of the “grain corridor”, Russia is taking advantage of the situation to expand its commercial activities in the Black Sea. 2022 2021 levels.
At the same time, they continuedRussian commercial ships are not inspected in the Bosphorus, allowing them to carry military equipment destined for the war in Ukraine.
For all these reasons, the Ukrainian government has urged the United Nations and Turkey, as guarantors of the ‘grain corridor’ initiative, to demand that Moscow stop obstructing Ukrainian operations, unblock commercial transport from Ukrainian ports and end the attempt to “store food”.
The Kremlin on Sunday rejected a further extension of the grain export pact, which expires in March, if sanctions weighing on trade in Russian agricultural products are not lifted.
“Without tangible results in fulfilling the Russia/UN memorandum, the draft of the Istanbul package of agreements and the extension of the Ukrainian document are not convenient,” said Sergei Vershinin, Russia’s deputy foreign minister.
Source: DN
