After suspending its involvement in a deal mediated by Turkey and the UN that had permitted Ukraine to resume grain exports, Russia declared on Monday that shipping through a Black Sea security corridor was “unacceptable.”
“The movement of ships along the security corridor is unacceptable since the Ukrainian leadership and the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine use it to conduct military operations against the Russian Federation,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
“Under the current conditions, there can be no question of guaranteeing the security of any object in the indicated direction until the Ukrainian side accepts additional obligations not to use this route for military purposes.”
However, it emphasised that Russia was just suspending its adherence to the agreement. Moscow made this announcement on Saturday following what it claimed was an attack by a Ukrainian drone on its Black Sea fleet.
What Russia would do if ships continued to travel the route was not stated by the ministry. Despite Moscow’s weekend announcement, a record amount of 354,500 tonnes of agricultural products left Ukrainian ports as part of the grain deal on Monday, according to a representative for Odesa’s military administration.
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The grain transaction was “hardly feasible, and it takes on a different character – much more risky, dangerous and unguaranteed,” the Kremlin stated earlier on Monday.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has charged that by backing out of the accord, Moscow is “blackmailing the world with hunger.”
(with inputs from agencies)
