Plan B needed. Russia threatens to withdraw from grain initiative on May 18

Russia threatens to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on May 18. In this regard, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, believes that it is necessary to look for some alternative options, he said at a briefing on Friday.

"My personal opinion is that the grain agreement is, of course, a way out of the situation, but it is in a certain way a limitation of Ukrainian sovereignty, since we cannot export all products freely according to international law. And we also need to think about some alternative options if the Russians will try to block the deal on May 18," Bodnar stated.

He noted that during this period, Turkey will most likely be preparing for the second round of presidential elections, and the UN's ability to influence the Russian side may not be sufficient.

"Perhaps we need to form a plan B, a plan C, where the ships will go and whether they will be inspected further in case the Russians try to create obstacles: whether to block the initiative itself, or to threaten the ports," Bodnar said.

Since April 10, Russia stopped registering the fleet to participate in the grain initiative and refused to work according to the plans of Ukrainian ports. This effectively stopped the entry of new vessels under the grain initiative.

On April 17-18, there were no inspections in the territorial waters of Turkey. They were unblocked only after the personal visit of the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine to Turkey.