Ukraine would continue grain shipments on the Black Sea even without Russian security guarantees

"We had two agreements: one between Ukraine, Turkey and the UN; the other between Russia, Turkey and the UN. So when Russia says it's suspending (the agreement), it's essentially breaking the agreement with UN Secretary General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Not with us. We didn't have any agreement with them," said Zelensky, quoted by his press secretary, Serhii Nykyforov.

Even without Russia, we must do everything we can to use this Black Sea corridor. We are not afraid,

said the Ukrainian President, who said that shipping companies had already indicated that they would be ready if Ukraine launched it and Turkey would allow grain shipments through.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that alternative land routes cannot replace sea transport under the Black Sea Grains Agreement.

The Black Sea Grains Agreement expired at midnight on Monday, and Russia said it would not renew it. The announcement came hours after the Russian side claimed that Ukraine had attacked the Kerch bridge. According to the Kremlin, the decision has nothing to do with the attack. "Unfortunately, the part of the agreement concerning Russia has not been fulfilled," said Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, adding that if the Russian conditions were met, they would return to the agreement "immediately". Moscow is demanding that sanctions on its grain and fertiliser exports be lifted.

Turkish President Erdoğan, whose country acted as a mediator in the Grains Agreement, said he still believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants the agreement to continue. He added that the Turkish and Russian foreign ministers would hold talks on Monday afternoon.

Russia's termination of the Black Sea Grains Agreement has been met with criticism from both the EU and the US. The White House has warned that Russia's decision to suspend its involvement in the grain trade in Ukraine "undermines food security and harms millions of vulnerable people around the world" and called on Russia to "immediately reverse its decision". Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, has strongly condemned Russia's „cynical move” to end the Black Sea Grains Initiative despite the efforts of the UN and Turkey.

The cover photo is an illustration. Source: Getty Images