‘Russia wants to resume threat of large-scale famine’, says Zelensky after suspension of grain exports

Ukrainian grain exports by sea came to a standstill on Sunday, 30, after Russia on Saturday suspended the agreement that allowed these vital deliveries for world food security. “These foods were intended for Ethiopians, who are on the brink of famine. But due to Russia’s blockade of the ‘grain corridor’, export is impossible,” said the minister of Ukraine. the ukrainian president Volodymir Zelensky called the decision of Russia of “an absolutely transparent intention to return to the threat of large-scale famine in Africa and Asia”. According to the Ukrainian government, this restriction makes it “impossible” for cargo ships to set sail. The center that coordinates the logistics of the agreement said in a statement that there is no traffic scheduled for this Sunday. “An agreement was not reached at the Joint Coordination Center for the movement of inbound and outbound vessels for October 30th,” he said. Meanwhile, the Turkish Defense Ministry has indicated that inspections in Istanbul of ships carrying Ukrainian grain will continue “today and tomorrow”.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba estimated that Russia blocks “two million tons of grain on 176 ships”. He also demanded that Moscow end “its hunger games” and said the blasts were more than “220 kilometers from the grain corridor”. The agreement to unblock grain deliveries signed by Russia and Ukraine with the mediation of Turkey and the UN is key to alleviating the world food crisis caused by the conflict. Faced with this situation, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned about the situation”, said his spokeswoman Stephane Dujarric. For its part, the European Union urged Russia to “reverse its decision”. In making the decision, which came after Russia accused the UK of helping Ukraine attack two bases, the Russians claimed that some of the drones used to attack their fleet had “Canadian-made navigation modules” and that the drones used a “safe zone” of the grain corridor. It also pointed out that one of the devices could have been launched from a civilian ship.

*With information from AFP