Threat to Odessa: Ukrainian Foreign Ministry does not believe in Russia's intention to unblock Black Sea for grain export
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has called on the West not to trust Russian President Vladimir Putin when he promises not to use trade routes unblocked in the Black Sea to attack Odessa.
As you know, Western countries and Ukraine are trying to find a way out of the situation with the Russian military blockade of the Black Sea, which before the full-scale invasion of Russia exported most of the Ukrainian grain. The Kremlin says it is ready to unblock passages from Ukrainian ports (so far only from Odessa) in exchange for lifting some of the sanctions. In Ukraine, it is believed that the Russians can attack Odessa as soon as the approaches to the city "for grain" are cleared.
"Putin says he will not use trade routes to attack Odessa. This is the same Putin who told German Chancellor Scholz and French President Macron a few days before the full-scale invasion of our country that he would not attack Ukraine," he said. .
It should be noted that on Monday a number of Russian and Western media reported that Russia and Ukraine, through Turkey, allegedly reached an agreement to unblock shipping in the northwestern Black Sea, accompanied by grain ships from the port of Odessa to the Bosphorus. Official Kyiv does not confirm this information.
As has been repeatedly pointed out, Russia's attack on Ukraine threatens the world with a food crisis, which has become one of the main topics on the global agenda in recent weeks.
The export of Ukrainian grain in the traditional way - through the seaports of the Black and Azov Seas - is currently impossible due to the war. Therefore, several options are being considered, including the creation of a maritime humanitarian corridor under the guarantee of other countries, as well as export through Belarus to the Baltic ports.