In the Black Sea, a Russian missile hit a civilian ship carrying wheat to Egypt. This happened immediately after the ship left the territorial waters of Ukraine. About the incident reported President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
According to preliminary data, there were no casualties.
“We await the world’s reaction. Wheat and food security should never be a target for missiles.” Zelensky said.
The President emphasized that Ukraine plays a key role in ensuring global food security.
“The internal stability and life of dozens of countries in different parts of the world depends on the normal and smooth operation of our export food corridor”, – he emphasized.
Zelensky also assured that Ukraine will continue to protect its ports, the Black Sea and ensure the supply of food to the world market.
Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called this strike “a brazen attack on freedom of navigation and global food security.” The Ukrainian authorities plan to immediately notify the UN and the International Maritime Organization about this incident, calling on international partners to take decisive action.
Grain agreement and security in the Black Sea
In July 2023, Russia announced the non-renewal of the “grain agreement”, which had been in effect since July 2022, putting forward a number of demands, including the connection of “Rossilhospbank” to SWIFT and the unfreezing of assets of Russian companies. As a result of the breakdown of the agreement, Russia began to systematically attack Ukrainian port infrastructure, trying to stop agricultural exports.
In response, Ukraine developed temporary routes for ships that began to operate in August 2023 and offered them to the International Maritime Organization. These routes are primarily used to evacuate ships that were in Ukrainian ports at the time of the full-scale invasion.
At the same time, Ukraine is working on strengthening security in the Black Sea. At the first Peace Summit, issues of food security, safe shipping and access to Ukrainian seaports were discussed.
