Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready to continue grain deliveries through the Black Sea corridor even though Russia has pulled out of the grain deal. Zelensky’s quote from an interview with African journalists was published on Facebook by his press secretary Serhii Nikiforov.
“Even without the Russian Federation, everything should be done so that we can use this Black Sea corridor. We are not afraid. We have been approached by the companies that own the ships. They said that they are ready to continue grain deliveries, if Ukraine is ready to release and Turkey will miss,” – emphasized Zelensky.
He explained that there were two agreements within the grain deal: the first one was signed by Russia, Turkey and the UN, the second one was signed by Ukraine, Turkey and the UN.
“So when Russia says it is terminating [the grain deal], it is terminating its agreements with UN Secretary General Gutterish and with President Erdogan. Not with us. We did not have any agreements with them”, Zelensky added.
According to him, he has already instructed the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to notify Turkey and the UN that Kyiv is ready to continue grain supplies.
