Ukraine calls on Turkey and UN to help unblock Grain Corridor

This is reported in a statement posted on the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry website. 

"Only during the last three months the world received less than 10 million tonnes of Ukrainian food and this negative trend is gaining momentum.Due to the delay in inspections by Russia, the query of more than 140 vessels was formed in Bosporus, the vast majority of which have been waiting there for more than a month. The food security of countries that depend on the export of Ukrainian agricultural products is under threat. First of all, due to Russia's actions, the countries of the Global South, in particular Africa and Asia, have food shortages," the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that, while interfering in the work of the Black Sea Grain corridor, Moscow is using the opportunity of unobstructed shipping from Russian Black Sea ports. The traffic volume through Russian seaports in the Azov and Black seas has reached more than 250 million tons in 2022, which surpassed the indicators of 2021. At the same time, inspections of these vessels in the Bosporus are not held.

"All that makes it possible for Russia to use its commercial vessels for receiving military goods in order to continue the war against Ukraine," the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

With this in mind, Ukraine urged "the UN and Türkiye as guarantors of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, to demand from the Russian Federation to immediately stop the delays in the work of the Black Sea grain corridor".

• Earlier it was reported that the number of bulk carriers to be loaded within the framework of the Grain Initiative has decreased because the Russian Federation is sabotaging inspections. As of February 13, 145 vessels were in the queue for inspection.