Russia has been unable to find a way to stop Ukrainian strikes on the shadow fleet, oil facilities, and the port in Novorossiysk. Ukraine began these strikes in response to enemy attacks. Moscow tried to find political leverage, using certain political leaders to influence Kyiv, but it failed.
After that, it began attacking the grain corridor from Ukraine, LB correspondent reports, citing the president’s remarks at a meeting with journalists. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine started responding to those attacks as well.
“And it looks like their desire is this: they will not attack our grain corridor only if we do not attack their energy sector,” he said.
The president called the strikes on the enemy’s agricultural sector fair. Ukraine is also trying to find a way to establish food corridors to preserve exports.
“I spoke with some leaders. I suggested they use their ships to transport food from our ports, and we will not attack their ships if they come and take agricultural exports from Russia. And to pass a message to Russia that Russia cannot attack the ships of one country or another that may deliver our grain, just as we then will not attack their grain. We have a lot of signals from the world that this is important. But I know Russia is not ready for this. This, again, is the answer that for them it’s not about grain. It’s exclusively about their energy sector, but that is not comparable,” he said.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine is ready to negotiate a ceasefire on energy.
“We will not attack your gasoline and diesel, but you cannot attack our electricity. If you are ready to talk on an equal footing, then let’s talk. If it’s about the agricultural sector, then about the agricultural sector; if it’s about energy, then about energy. If it’s about a full ceasefire, then about a full ceasefire. We really are ready to negotiate with them a ceasefire regarding energy and the agricultural sector. But a completely understandable question arises: then why not declare a general ceasefire? It’s simply that Putin is not ready for all of this. He doesn’t want to. There are no other signals from him — he is counting on the war continuing,” he said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy also denied Ukrainian strikes on civilian aircraft in Russia.
“We carried out attacks on the ‘Russians’ exclusively on military airfields. We have a major and very special operation that has been going on for about a year and a half. Its name is ‘Carpet.’ I believe this is a very successful idea by the Security Service of Ukraine. We had drones that we used in such a way that the Russians would stop operations at their airports — they call it ‘Kovyor.’ We had only this operation regarding airports, and I don’t know who is spreading other information and for what purpose. We have never conducted any operations against civilian aircraft — that must not be done, it is international law, we are not terrorists,” he said.