MOSCOW, August 4. /TASS/. Secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council Alexey Danilov said on Friday that Ukraine will continue to load its ships with grain and send them across the Black Sea, despite Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal.

"We care little about Russia’s withdrawal from anywhere. Because we have had no relations with them on this matter. We will do what we think we must, we will move ships with grain where we think necessary. And we are not going to ask anyone’s permission," he said in an interview with Ukrainian Radio.

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 after that 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 was never implemented.

Later, the Russian defense ministry warned that following the termination of the grain deal from midnight on July 20, Moscow will view all ships sailing across the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports as shipping military cargoes and their flag countries will be considered as involved in the Ukrainian conflict on Kiev’s side. Apart from that, several maritime areas in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the Black Sea international waters were declared temporarily dangerous for navigation.

Meanwhile, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is ready to return to the deal only after its part concerning commitments to Russia is implemented.