Zelenskyy: Russia is blocking grain corridor to deliberately fuel food crisis

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this in his daily address to the people of Ukraine on October 21.

"These weeks, the situation around the Black Sea Grain Initiative is becoming more and more tense. The Russian enemy is doing everything to slow down our food exports. I believe that with these actions, Russia is deliberately fueling the food crisis so that it becomes as acute as it was in the first half of this year," he said.

Today, more than 150 ships are in the queue to fulfill contractual obligations for the supply of our agricultural products.

"This is an artificial queue. It arose only because Russia is deliberately delaying the passage of ships," the president emphasized.

According to him, every day that ships with food are waiting in the queue means an increase in social and political tension in the countries that consume Ukrainian agricultural products. For example, the export of food due to Russia’s aggression is delayed in: Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia.

The UN, Turkey and other partners of Ukraine are fully informed about this situation.

Despite the ‘grain corridor’ operating, Russia’s actions forced Ukraine to deliver three million tonnes less grain than planned. And this is the annual volume of consumption for 10 million people.

"Russia is doing everything to ensure that at least hundreds of thousands of these people become forced migrants who will seek asylum in the same Turkey or in EU countries, or die of hunger. And we and our partners must do everything to ensure that the grain initiative is not only preserved, but also works at 100% capacity. The right to food and life without hunger is fundamental for absolutely every person on earth. And therefore, Russian efforts to exacerbate the food crisis are also an aggression against every person on earth," Zelenskyy added.