Ukraine is negotiating with Turkey, Egypt and India to restore civilian shipping in the Black Sea and resume agricultural exports. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to “Bloomberg“, reported “Hurriyet Daily News“.
According to him, the three countries have offered to guarantee the safe passage of ships under their flags to Ukrainian and Russian ports. The vessels will carry food, and the proposal envisages simultaneous movement of ships to ports on both sides of the conflict.
“One ship will go to our port, and another to a Russian port, and we will agree that neither ship will be attacked“, Zelensky said.The Ukrainian president claims that Russia opposes the initiative despite calls from Turkey, Egypt and India. So far, no agreement has been reached or a specific date for the restoration of commercial shipping.
Turkey has a key role
Ankara is among the main participants in efforts to guarantee maritime trade in the Black Sea. Restoring shipping routes would be important for both Ukrainian exports of grain and other agricultural goods, as well as for food supplies and regional food security.
The proposed model relies on the participation of ships under the flags of countries that are not parties to the war. They should serve both Ukrainian and Russian ports, and their sailing should be provided with guarantees against attacks. Zelensky's statement does not make it clear how exactly these guarantees will be applied and who will be responsible in case of violation.
Zelensky also announced new strikes
In his statement, the Ukrainian president also spoke about Russian attacks on Ukraine. According to him, on October 19, Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles at the Kiev region and used over 200 drones against various regions of the country.
Zelensky also stated that Kiev had not received any advance warning from its allies about the upcoming strikes on energy facilities. These data were presented by the Ukrainian president and were not accompanied in the message by an independent assessment of the damage or confirmation from the Russian side.
Sources: bta.bg, bloomberght.com, hurriyetdailynews.com