FM Kuleba names three options for grain export
Ukraine has three options for exporting grain after Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with Voice of America.
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The first plan is to continue the work of the initiative. On July 17, it became known that Ukraine offered Turkey and the UN to continue exporting grain through Odesa ports, despite threats from Russia.
"Plan B is the supply of Ukrainian grain to world markets via the Black Sea, but via an alternative route with alternative modalities. Such a plan B does exist," said Kuleba.
"And there is also plan C — the best of all possible, we just need to throw out the Russians from Ukraine, lift the blockade of the ports, return Crimea to Ukraine, and remove any threat to maritime trade routes in the Black Sea," the minister added.
He stressed that Russia would threaten the normal export of grain from Ukraine until the very end of the war.
"Until Plan C is implemented, Russia will retain these tools of blackmail," the minister said.
On July 17, Russia announced its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, refusing to give guarantees of non-attack on civilian vessels after that date.
In October 2022, Russia already tried withdrawing from the grain deal, but Turkey and the UN began to inspect vessels with Ukrainian grain themselves, which made Russia quickly change its mind.
