The head of Ukrainian intelligence, Kirilo Budanov, pointed out on Monday the possibility that the Ukrainian army begins to escort grain-exporting ships, allowing them to transit through the Black Sea, despite Russia’s withdrawal from the international agreement that allowed the operation of this corridor.
Since the end of the Black Sea Agreement, the Russians have announced that they will be suspected of transporting military material for the enemy to any commercial ship that sails through that sea to Ukrainian ports, so that they could open fire on any vessel that crosses the strait.
“Ukraine is going to have to do it because we cannot let the world starve to death,” said Budanov, without giving further details on the matter, asked by EFE if Ukraine is considering militarily guaranteeing the transit of commercial ships through the Black Sea.
Almost two weeks ago, Russia finally decided to suspend the Black Sea Agreement, which has maintained grain exports with Ukraine since the first months of Moscow’s invasion of Kiev. According to the Kremlin, the commitments with the Russian side were never fulfilled and the treaty only benefited the Ukrainians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said this week that Russia will send between 25,000 and 50,000 tons of grain to six African countries over the next four months for free. This is the second time that the Kremlin leader makes this decision, since, according to his arguments, “he prefers to donate that food”, before it is wasted due to the “war” that the West wages against its products due to the invasion of Ukraine.
The Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UN), António Guterres, criticized the Russian offer to offer free grain to several African countries, an offer that called for a handful of donations, because this action will not contribute to lowering the prices of cereals in the world.
The United Nations Organization (UN) affirmed that it will continue its efforts so that Russia agrees to extend the Black Sea Agreement to export grain from Ukraine to international markets. The agency detailed that there are problems to solve in relation to the export of Russian food and fertilizers, one of the most persistent complaints since the creation of the agreement.
According to the United Nations Organization (UN) the total exports by this treaty only reached 29.8 million tons. Of this is added 595,000 tons for the World Food Program in humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Yemen.
With information from EFE
