MOSCOW, July 18. /TASS/. Ukraine suggests that its food be exported from the country’s ports across Romania and Bulgaria’s territorial water following the grain deal termination triggered by Russia’s withdrawal from it, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bondar said on Tuesday.
"On our part, we have established a risk guaranteeing fund. We have a possibility to attract <…> companies, which are ready to provide ships for exporting grain. We think that this can be implemented even without the use of the route that was agreed [with Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations], i.e. across Romania and Bulgaria’s territorial water. It is a possible option to minimize the risks. Naturally, this will require the responsibility of the international community," he said in an interview with the Rada television channel.
Zelensky said on July 17 that he had sent official messages to US Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where he suggested that the grain deal be extended or something similar be created in a trilateral format without Russia.
A package of documents geared to resolve the problem of food and fertilizer supplies on global markets was signed on July 22, 2022 in Istanbul and extended several times since then before ultimately expiring on July 17. Russia refused to extend it again because the part of the deal envisaging the removal of obstacles for Russian agricultural exports has never been implemented. Apart from that, Moscow has repeatedly stressed that the bulk of grain that was meant to be supplied to the poorest counties was shipped to Western countries. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is ready to resurrect the deal but only after its part related to obligations to Moscow is fulfilled.