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Ukraine will agree to export grain if Kiev is given more weapons — ambassador

Effective security guarantees are required for maritime shipments to resume, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar said

ANKARA, June 7. /TASS/. Ukraine will agree to resume exports of agricultural products from the country by sea only if it’s given "weapons to protect against maritime threats" and gets support from the navies of third countries, Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasily Bodnar said on Tuesday.

"I would like to express gratitude to Turkey for its efforts in this regard (to create a safe corridor for the export of agricultural products from Ukraine by sea - TASS)," he said on CNN Turk. "At the same time, I want to emphasize that there is no agreement between Ukraine, Turkey and Russia on this issue yet."

"Effective security guarantees are required for maritime shipments to resume," he went on to say. "These guarantees must be provided through the supply of appropriate weapons to Ukraine to protect its coasts from maritime threats and the involvement of the navies of third countries in protecting the relevant part of the Black Sea.".

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