The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has warned that from midnight on July 21, 2023, all ships sailing in the Black Sea in the direction of Russian seaports can be considered by Ukraine as carrying military cargo with all the associated risks. This was reported by the press service of the department.
They added that shipping in the areas of the northeastern part of the Black Sea and the Kerch-Yenikalsky Strait will also be considered dangerous. Kiev emphasized that the Ukrainian army has the necessary means to translate its plans into reality.
Recall that on July 17, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the agreements on the export of grain from Ukrainian ports “virtually ceased to be valid today.” He stressed that the deal had not stopped, but “stopped”, and reiterated that Russia would return to it as soon as Moscow’s demands were met.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, specified that Russia is ready to return to the grain deal only after concrete results in the implementation of the Russian part of the deal, and not yet another “assurances” and “promises” from the UN and the West. According to her, the UN has three more months to implement, to achieve concrete results.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that the curtailment of the “grain deal” means that the maritime humanitarian corridor stops working, and the regime of the area temporarily dangerous for navigation is restored in the north-west of the Black Sea.
The day before, the Russian Defense Ministry indicated that a number of areas in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea were declared temporarily dangerous for navigation. As specified in the department, from 00:00 Moscow time on July 20, all ships moving in the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports will be considered as “potential carriers of military cargo.” Moreover, the Ministry of Defense added that the flag countries of such ships will be considered involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Kyiv.
Recall that the “grain deal” is an agreement between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN on the export of grain from the Black Sea ports, which was signed on July 22, 2022. The initiative involves the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizer across the Black Sea from three ports. As part of the deal, there is also a second part – a Russia-UN memorandum, designed for three years. It spelled out a number of such measures as unblocking Russian exports of food and fertilizers, reconnecting Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, resuming supplies of agricultural equipment, etc. This part of the package agreement was never implemented.
Source: Rosbalt
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