Ships loaded with grain exports blocked in Black Sea, says Kyiv
Lviv, Ukraine, Oct 30 (EFE).- Ships carrying Ukrainian food products have been blocked in Black Sea ports, the government confirmed on Sunday, a day after Russia announced the suspension of a grain export deal.
Ukraine’s minister of infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov wrote on Twitter that Ikaria Angel ship loaded with 40,000 tons of grains was scheduled to set sail at the weekend from the Ukrainian port under the supervision of the United Nations World Food Program.
“These foodstuffs were intended for Ethiopians that are on the verge of famine. But due to the blockage of the ‘grain corridor’ by #Russia the export is impossible,” he said.
Some 176 ships that have already sailed from Ukrainian ports are currently stuck in the Black Sea, according to Dmytro Kuleba, the minister of foreign affairs.
“Russia blocks 2 million tons of grain on 176 vessels already at sea — enough to feed over 7 million people.
“The current queue with grain has accumulated in the Black Sea since September, when Russia started deliberately delaying the functioning of the corridor and seeking to undermine the deal.”
Russia halted its participation in the deal following drone attacks in the city of Sevastopol on the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula.
The grain deal reached in July under the mediation of Turkey and the UN ended a months-long blockade of Ukrainian grain exports following Russia’s invasion.
Earlier on Sunday, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell urged Russia to “revert its decision.” EFE
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